The End of All Battles
by ToBeSomebody
Summary: Ash has been home in Pallet for some time after his defeat in the Sinnoh League. Fortunately, a surprise is awaiting that will reunite him with almost all of his oldest friends, and possibly change the fate of the world. Shippings and full summary inside.
1. Cake and Reunion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. This is assumed for the entire story, in each and every chapter.**

**A/N: **Hello, and welcome to my first fanfic. =] I can only hope it lives up to my expectations and that everyone enjoys it in one way or another! For those interested, I've included two shippings that will progress along the way. My personal favorite, Pokeshipping, will make its way into the story at an enjoyable pace (I hope). The other is an OCshipping of mine that I've deemed OneDayShipping, which pairs May with Mason, a boy Ash's age intent on living life to the fullest.

_**Summary**:_ A year after his defeat in the Sinnoh league, Ash is home in Pallet Town where he has been taking a well-deserved rest. A very special day arrives, and he meets up with almost all of his best friends from the years past. Little do they know that as they celebrate, an evil plan is being hatched by forces more powerful than any they have ever faced. Join them as they work together as the best of friends to overcome the greatest evil the world has ever known.

Ages:

Ash: 15  
Misty: 15 (slightly older than Ash)  
Tracey: 16  
Brock: 18  
May: 14  
Dawn: 14  
Delia: 34  
Prof. Oak: 50

* * *

Announcer: The world of pokemon. A fascinating world inhabited by humans and creatures, working together since the dawn of time. These creatures named pokemon aid us in our everyday lives, with everything from recreation and fun to battling and serious contests. In this world are many legends, and many mysteries waiting to be revealed. Great powers lie dormant in every corner of the world, silently keeping watch over the ecosystem and balance of the entire planet. There are some, however, who seek to use this power to accomplish their own means. Different people under different names, working to disrupt the natural balance and gain control over powers that mankind can never understand. In the past these organizations have battled each other for control over different regions of the world. However, a terrible plot is being hatched, one that can bring the entire planet to its knees.

* * *

A shadowy figure sits, slowly petting his persian. In front of him, a screen turns on. Archie, the leader of Team Aqua; Maxie, the leader of team Magma; and Cyrus, the leader of team Galactic can all be seen.

"It's nice to finally have a chance to talk to you all again," the shadowy figure says.

"What's this all about, Giovanni? And why is **he **here?" Archie speaks, gesturing to Maxie.

"I was just about to ask the same-"

"Enough of your petty squabbling," Maxie is interrupted by Giovanni before he can finish. "Let us put our differences aside for a moment and discuss the future, shall we? Although our past encounters haven't been so pretty, we all have one thing in common. Each of us sees pokemon for what they really are and what they are truly capable of. Now, I've just stumbled upon something very…interesting. Regrettably, my plan cannot be completed by Team Rocket alone. For the time being, working together may be the most mutually beneficial thing any of us have ever done. I promise you, gentlemen, that once this discovery is realized, the entire world will be sitting in the palms of our hands." Giovanni let out a deep chuckle.

"…What is it we need to do?" Cyrus was genuinely intrigued. To this question, Giovanni simply smiled, and then revealed his horrible scheme.

* * *

Announcer: Back in Pallet town, our hero Ash Ketchum is catching some well deserved rest. Just last year he finished his journeys through the Sinnoh region, after which his good friends Dawn and Brock said their goodbyes and went on to pursue their dreams. Since returning to Pallet, Ash has been taking a break from his quest to become a Pokemon Master in order to catch up with old friends and spend some time with his beloved pokemon at Professor Oak's. Little does he know, there's a surprise waiting for him that might also be the greatest thing ever to happen to the world.

* * *

In a small town, nestled quietly away from the noise and excitement of the city, an alarm goes off. Unfortunately for Ash Ketchum, it isn't quite enough to wake him from his slumber, and he's got somewhere to be this morning. Another half hour goes by before Pikachu finally decides to take matters into his own hands and gives his friend a thundershock.

"**Blaaaghhh**!-I'm up!" Ash sits up and looks around angrily for the culprit before noticing the clock. "Huh….**Waaahhhh**! I'm late! Mom's gonna kill me! Come on, Pikachu!" Ash quickly throws on his old Kanto outfit and rushes out the door with Pikachu tailing closely behind him.

On his way to Professor Oak's lab, he runs into none other than Professor Oak himself. "Ah! Ash! I was just looking for you! You've kept everyone waiting!" The professor then quickly covers his mouth, realizing he might have just given the surprise away.

"What do you mean everyone's waiting? I thought I was supposed to be helping my mom out cleaning the lab up today?" Ash asked, still running in place.

"Uh-eh-well you see I-Er your pokemon of course! They'll be helping you both out with the chores today!" Oak crosses his fingers behind his back, hoping the boy doesn't see past his lie.

"Oh, of course! I'll be there soon!" Ash starts to run off again, the professor and Pikachu tailing behind him now. It's a small town, but Professor Oak's lab is all the way on the outskirts with a lot of land surrounding it, plenty of room for all of Ash's pokemon to roam. Ash can only hope he doesn't get a pep talk from his mom about timeliness, that's the last thing he needs right now.

* * *

On the other side of town, a passing stranger is having a little bit of trouble with one of his pokemon.

"Come oonnnn Poof! Give 'em back!" A boy cries toward his haunter. He and his ninetails are chasing the haunter down, but as is usual for haunters, he's quite the escape artist, and also happens to have the boy's shoes, making it no easier to chase him. The boy pulls out a pokeball and attempts to recall the unruly haunter, but it simply vanishes and re-appears behind the boy, pulling on the boy's cheeks and causing him to make funny faces.

"Blaagghalagg" The boy knocks the haunter's hands away, "Knock it off! Get back here!" The boy cries out as the haunter floats away laughing. The boy and his ninetails continue to give chase throughout the town, running in and out of shops, apologizing as they go. Eventually they're led right off of a dock into a pond. The ninetails stayed at the end of the dock, a smug look on its face. The boy surfaced and looked around, noticing his ninetails. "Oh shush. It's cool and refreshing anyway!" He splashes a little water towards the dock that the ninetails dodges easily.

The boy swims back to the dock and climbs out of the water, shaking his hair as dry as he can. The haunter appears again, crying tears of laughter. "Oh haha, very funny." The haunter simply smiles and vanishes, appearing again in front of the boy with his shoes. "Thank you!" The boy takes his shoes and plops them on his feet, which were still wet. Unfortunately, while he is knelt down tying his shoes the haunter seizes the opportunity to take the boys pack and run off again.

"Noone…did he just…" The boy asked, not bothering to look up or stop tying his shoes. The ninetails simply let out a sigh and looked down. "Well…no use in sitting around. Come on. We'll take it easy this time, promise." The boy stood up and spread his arms out, and the ninetails promptly let out an ember attack. Although it was quite hot, it quickly dried the boy off. They then set off, walking back into town after the boy's pack.

* * *

Back at Professor Oak's lab, Ash, Pikachu, and the Professor himself were just arriving. They paused at the door to catch their breath, and then went in. The room was dark, with all of the windows covered and the lights out. "Huh…" Ash fumbled for a second, then found the switch and flipped it.

"**Surprise**!" Ash jumped back, shocked at what he saw. There in the lab were Misty, May, Dawn, Tracey and Brock, almost all of his closest friends. "Happy Birthday Ash!"

"Wuuuhhh…Oh! It's my birthday today!" Everybody groaned, but then let out a chuckle. "Wow! Thanks guys! How'd you all know?" Ash stood in the doorway, astonished at seeing everyone right there in front of him.

"Your mom called us, and even arranged the ferry schedules for us to come over!" May said, smiling at Delia. "And of course I'd never miss something like this! Not in a million years!"

"Of course not! Besides, I always wanted to see what Kanto was like anyway!" Dawn exclaimed. "You live in such a beautiful town! And your mom's such a nice woman!"

"Oh Ash, it's just like you to forget something like this," Delia said, "always thinking about your pokemon and your journeys." She came forward and gave her son a hug. "I hope you like your present!"

"Eh-Of course, mom, but you don't have to choke me-" Ash weezed as his mom's grip tightened. Everyone shared a laugh. Delia eased up and tipped Ash's hat.

"No matter how old you get, you'll still always be my little pokemon master."

"Thanks, mom. And thanks everyone for being here! It's awesome to see everyone again, it's been too long! Let's eat some cake and-Hey, where's Max?"

"Oh he's still back at the gym," May said, "He really wanted to come, but he's taking his responsibilities there pretty seriously and couldn't afford to take any time off. He said he'd call you later when he got the chance."

"Aw, that's too bad. But it'll still be great to hear from him. Alright everyone, let's have a party!" Everybody ran outside to where the cake was and began slicing it up, chatting amongst themselves.

"Hey guys, why keep all the fun to ourselves? Why not let our pokemon in on the action?" Brock suggested, holding up a pokeball.

"Great idea!" Dawn said, reaching for her pokeballs. "Come on out, everyone! Let's have some fun!" Everybody threw their pokeballs into the air and suddenly they were surrounded by pokemon. Brock served up some of his famous pokemon food while everyone else cut into the huge cake. Of course Buneary was all too excited to see Pikachu and wasn't afraid to show it, grabbing him by the hands and twirling him around.

"So Ash, how's it feel to be 15?" Misty asked, leaning on the table next to him. "You're not that little kid I fished out of the river all those years ago, you're almost all grown up!" She gave him a smile.

"It honestly doesn't feel too different," Ash said, looking up at the clouds while he ate, "And I'm not the only one who's growing up, you're just as old as I am you know, and you're not so little anymore either."

As most girls do, Misty took this to mean something much worse than what it actually was, and retaliated in her normal way. "**I am not fat, Ash Ketchum**!" She yelled, getting in his face, "**You take that back**!"

Everyone turned to see Misty holding Ash in the normal headlock, her fist dug into his head. "Those two are already back to their old antics," Brock said and chuckled, "Some things just never change, do they?" He turned to Tracey and they laughed while May and Dawn looked on in confusion.

"Is it always like that between them?" May asked, still watching as Ash tried to explain to Misty what he meant while she held him by the collar. "I thought they got along well…"

"Of course they do," Tracey answered, "This is just like any normal day for those two. It might not look like it, but they're really great friends." As if to prove Tracey right, Misty let go of Ash's collar and they began laughing.

All throughout the party, people and pokemon alike were laughing and enjoying seeing each other again. Even with all of her unwanted affection towards him, Pikachu was more than happy to see Buneary again after such a long time. Misty and Tracey got to meet Dawn for the first time and Ash got to feel a sense of adventure again, being this close to all of his friends after such a long time.

* * *

**A/N:** Didn't really want to cut you off here, but I was afraid it might get a little too long for a first chapter if I don't. I know it might seem like things are moving a little fast right now, but it'll all make sense as I add additional chapters. =] Hope you enjoyed it! I'd love to hear what you have to say, so any reviews would be lovely to see!


	2. Meet Mason

**A/N:** So I'm updating a little early, but I plan on updating every day at around this time from now on. I was just so excited to get my first chapter out after my two-day wait that I couldn't hold it in any longer =D. For those of you wondering, this will be a daily upload, one chapter a day kinda thing. Thanks for the review "o The JUICE o," and I'm hoping you'll like the upcoming installments of evildoers doing evil deeds, but not just yet (insert maniacal laughter).

Also, I'm aware of the fact that my tenses seem bipolar, constantly switching from past to present, and it's something I plan on fixing, but not while I'm on a roll with writing. =P

* * *

Drawing ever closer to Professor Oak's lab, a very mischievous haunter carries his trainer's backpack in an attempt to hide it from him, but hasn't been able to shake the persistent boy yet. He spots a lot of commotion atop a hill in the distance and begins racing toward it, the boy and his ninetails following close behind.

"Remind me again why I ever caught him?" The boy yells to his ninetails as they attempt not to let the haunter out of their sight. They know if that happens it might take days before they find the pack. The boy picks up speed when he sees where the haunter is headed: straight toward what seems to be a party of some sort.

"Poof, no! Don't you dare! We don't know anybody here and I **know** what you have in mind! Don't do it!" The haunter simply snickers, turning around and making a face at the boy while keeping pace. He turns back around and speeds up, and the boy knows it's inevitable. He can only hope to arrive before his haunter causes too much damage.

* * *

Atop the hill, the cake had been eaten down to the last few pieces and everyone was enjoying a fun game of "Pin the tail on the tauros." So far, without cheating, May had been the closest, pinning it on one of the hind legs. The professor was way off, pinning the tail right on the nose, which prompted quite a few puns about his profession. Bulbasaur had lifted the blindfolds off and Bayleef had caught him in the act, ensuing a fight between the two that was quickly broken up by Brock's chansey.

Up next was Misty, who donned on the blindfold and began getting spun around. Everyone was looking on in anticipation, waiting for someone to hit the target dead-on. Almost immediately after her five spins, Misty jumped forward with the tail-pin in her hand and stuck it right into Ash's leg.

"**Ooooowwaahhh!**" Ash screamed, grabbing his leg in pain. "Why'd you do that!" He jumped up, hopping up and down on his uninjured leg. Brock's chansey was quick to respond, coming to Ash's aid with a bandage in hand.

"Ehh…I…didn't…" Misty said, taking the blindfold off and looking at her hands, "Someone grabbed my hand and pulled me, I swear!"

"But who? We were all sitting right here…" Brock asked, a perplexed look on his face. Professor Oak stepped forward, his hand raised, finger pointed and eyes closed in his usual "matter-of-fact" expression, seemingly ready to say something, but instead started making faces at everyone.

"Lehhhhhhhgggggg," was the sound that came out of the professor's mouth, nothing coherent at all. Suddenly his eyes opened wide and he grabbed his mouth with both hands and looked around with a panicked expression. He took his hands down and waited cautiously before talking again. "…It would seem…as though we have a visitor…"

Everyone began looking at each other, confused as to what the professor might mean. Before anybody else could say anything, May cried out in terror. When they turned to look, everyone saw that she was floating ten feet off of the ground, wiggling in place.

"Get me dooowwnnn! Waahh!" Suddenly a haunter appeared behind her wearing a backpack and laughing. It gave her a big hug before slowly lowering her down to the ground.

A boy appeared about twenty feet away and pulled out a pokeball. "Poof, return!" The haunter gave May a big smile before returning to the pokeball as his trainer commanded, letting the pack drop behind him. "Gah…I'm really, really sorry about him. He's a typical haunter, and we've been chasing him all day." The boy flopped down in the grass and began resting. "I really hope he didn't cause too much trouble, and I promise to pay for anything he broke."

Everyone looked at the boy for a second, speechless as to what just happened. May especially was very bewildered and still catching up with her thoughts. Ash was the first to speak.

"Hey jerk! Your haunter stabbed me in the leg with a pin!" He was still sitting on the bench while Chansey patted his leg. "Just who do you think-Oh!" Ash stopped and gasped as he saw the ninetails come up and sit next to the boy, realizing he was a pokemon trainer and he might be able to get a battle in on his birthday.

The boy put a hand on the ninetails' head and looked up. "I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name's Mason, and this is Noone. The haunter you had the misfortune of meeting earlier was Poof. We were just passing through and I let my pokemon out to eat, and that's when Poof took my shoes. I managed to get them back, but he decided he wasn't done having fun for the day." He chuckled and looked toward May. "I've gotta thank you for being there, Poof seemed to like you. I hope he didn't lick you like he does me. Stings."

May let out an embarrassed laugh and put her hand behind her head. "Oh, it's no problem. He was very gentle, and even gave me a hug, I think." She smiled toward the newcomer.

"Well that's good to hear, and thanks again. I'm really sorry to interrupt here, guys. It looks like you guys were having a blast." He looked back the way he came. "Do you guys know if there's a pokemon center in town? I doubt we'll be able to make it back to where we were before the day's done."

"Hold on!" Ash yelled, "If you've got those pokemon, that must mean you're a trainer! Let's have a battle!" Ash stood up and his pokemon rallied behind him, happy and ready to fight.

"Ehh…I don't know, we've been running around all day, and Noone's not really a big fan of pokemon battles, let alone taking part in them." Noone let out a cry in agreement.

"Aw…How about just a quick one? It is my birthday after all!" Ash wasn't ready to let Mason go that easily, he was ready for a battle. "Besides, it was your haunter that brought you here, maybe **he** wants to battle!"

"Well…" Mason was still pretty wary, but Noone gave him a nudge and looked at him eagerly. "If you say so," he said to Noone. Mason gave a big grin, "Alright then, you're on!"

**

* * *

**The battle is a 3-on-3 battle, with the first to two victories being claimed the winner. For the first pokemon, Ash sends out Bayleef, while Mason sends out Seven, his igglybuff. A comical scene pans out as Mason orders a sing attack at the same time Ash orders a sleep powder attack and both pokemon fall asleep. However Bayleef quickly recovers and attacks with a razor leaf. Seven wakes up, but a moment too late as she's hit by the brunt of the attack. She recovers and charges forward with a double-slap attack. Bayleef takes a few hits, but is able to push Seven back and regain her ground. Ash then orders a vine-whip attack. The whips lash out at the small igglybuff, but Mason calls out for a counter-attack, sending the whips flying back at Bayleef with twice the force. Bayleef takes the attack and stands her ground, still raring to fight. Ash tells Bayleef to use a body slam attack while Mason orders the same thing. The two pokemon meet in the middle of the battlefield and collide head-on, but Bayleef overpowers Seven and sends her flying back, knocked out. Bayleef runs back to Ash with a tackle attack to show her affection and joy to be battling with him again. Mason consoles Seven before recalling her into her pokeball.

Next up for Ashe is Infernape, who takes the field confident and ready to fight again. Mason sends Poof back out, who makes a quick grab for Mason's backpack. Mason snatches it up and points toward the field, which Poof takes while laughing. Infernape opens up with a flamethrower attack, which Mason orders Poof to counter with a night shade attack. The night shade bursts through the flamethrower and hits Infernape dead on. Infernape is quick to recover, however, and charges at Poof with a flame wheel. Mason tells Poof to use a psychic attack, stopping Infernape in his tracks and lifting him into the air. Poof follows up with a confusion attack that sends Infernape flying back to his side of the field. Infernape attempts to get closer to Poof by using agility and flare blitz, and pops up behind the haunter, taking him by surprise and knocking him forward a ways. Poof turns around with a shadow ball already formed and fires it off, much to Infernape's surprise. The attack lands and Infernape is knocked to the ground. He gets back up once more, only to be put back down by a hypnosis attack. To finish him off, Poof uses a dream eater attack and knocks Infernape out. Ash runs to his Infernape and helps it to its feet. It hangs its head and leaves the battlefield. Meanwhile, Mason and Poof are rejoicing over their win. Mason gives Poof a hug and Poof shows his affection with a lick attack, stunning Mason. Mason holds the pokeball up and recalls Poof.

Finally, Pikachu takes the battlefield followed by Noone. Pikachu opens with a quick attack, taking Noone by surprise when he switches sides at the last second. Noone seizes the up-close opportunity and charges up a flame wheel, slamming into Pikachu and forcing him back to his side of the battlefield. Pikachu takes the attack and responds immediately with a series of thunderbolts, each of which Noone dodges. Noone unleashes a flamethrower attack that engulfs nearly the entire field. Ash has Pikachu jump into the air to avoid the attack and orders him to come down with an iron tail attack. The attack lands and Noone is knocked to the ground. Much to Ash and Pikachu's surprise, Noone gets back to her feet, and Pikachu is suddenly rendered immobile by a disable attack. Even more surprising is when Pikachu is lifted into the air by what seems to be either a confusion attack or a psychic attack. Immobile and stuck in the air, Pikachu is defenseless as Ninetails fires off a massive firespin attack, smashing Pikachu with a relentless wall of fire. When the attack ends, Pikachu falls to the ground knocked out. Ash runs and picks up his best friend, reassuring him that he did his best. Noone walks back to Mason and jumps up, hugging him as he hugs back. She gives him a kiss on the cheek as he ruffles the hair on her head. The match is over, Mason is the victor.

**

* * *

**

After the battle, the group invited Mason to finish out the party with them. He let Seven and Poof out of their pokeballs (Poof only under the condition that he kept all funny business to a minimum) and joined the group at the tables, Noone staying with him.

"That was an amazing battle, Mason. I'm Ash, by the way. Ash Ketchum." Ash held out his hand which Mason took.

"Yeah it was, it's been a long time since Noone and I have battled, and even longer since we had such a difficult fight. I haven't seen Noone hit that hard for a long time. Your pikachu's okay, right?" Mason asked, looking at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's tough like me." Ash said with a chuckle, petting Pikachu's head. "So how was it that Noone was able to fight the way she did?" Ash asked, looking curiously at the ninetails which was resting its head in Mason's lap.

"I'm not really sure," Mason answered, "Ever since she evolved into a ninetails, Noone's shown some very odd traits. It doesn't matter to me though, she doesn't usually enjoy battling and I'm fine with that. As long as we're with each other." Noone lifted her head up and gave him a smile.

"That really is a wonderful looking ninetails you have there. When did you guys decide to evolve her?" Brock asked, remembering his time with Suzy's vulpix.

"We didn't. She just evolved." Mason answered, leaving everyone shocked. "Like I said, she's shown some very odd traits, and she didn't need a fire stone to evolve. I'm perfectly fine with that and so is she."

"Well either way, I know a good ninetails when I see one," Brock said, "and that's a wonderful companion you have there." Brock leaned over and gave Noone a pat on the head, which she responded to with a small sigh. Mason reached down and scratched her behind her ear, causing her to let out a small whimper in excitement. Pikachu's ears perked up and he jumped off of Ash's shoulder to investigate the noise, crawling up on Mason's lap and sniffing his hand.

"Hey, Pikachu! Don't be rude!" Ash called out after him.

"Don't worry, he's no bother," Mason said, reaching down to Pikachu and scratching him under his chin. Pikachu let out a high-pitched squeal in excitement, kicking his leg instinctively. Mason pulled his hand up higher and Pikachu followed, stretching his neck out.

"Woah…I've never seen him act like that," Ash was looking on, amazed at how Mason was interacting with Pikachu. "Pikachu, what are you doing?" He called out to his friend. Pikachu turned back and gave Ash a look of ecstasy, showing him that he was really enjoying himself. Mason gave Pikachu a rub on the head before Pikachu returned to Ash.

"What was that?" Brock asked. He, as well as May, Misty and Dawn were looking on the entire time, also taken aback at how Pikachu was acting with a complete stranger.

"It was nothing, really," Mason claimed, a little embarrassed, not meaning to show off, "At least nothing I can explain. It's just something I've been able to do since I was a kid. I can tell what pokemon like and I'm always happy around them, and they always seem happy around me. For the most part, at least. My parents always said I 'had a way with pokemon.'"

Further proving his point, May's glaceon was now investigating where the strange sounds were coming from. Mason reached down with both hands, rubbing her sides back and forth. Glaceon leaned into Mason more and more as he went on, purring as she went, until she was eventually on her back with her feet stretched out in the air.

"Ahhh…" May just watched, mouth agape, astonished at what this boy was doing. Soon the entire party of pokemon was gathered around, either investigating or cuddling up to him.

"Eh-Hey now! Slow down, there's plenty to go around!" Mason cried out, causing everyone to laugh. In a few minutes the pokemon had settled down, all of them napping around the group.

Back at the lab, Tracey, Professor Oak and Delia looked on.

"Hm, it seems as though that boy really knows how to interact with pokemon," Professor Oak said, "Even Sceptile went over for a minute to see what was happening."

"And did you see the way he battled with his haunter and ninetails?" Tracey spoke up, "I've never seen anything like it, Professor!"

"Well it's obvious that Poof is very skilled in combat, no matter how mischievous it may be, but there have also been known anomalies amongst pokemon, giving them strengths and abilities that would normally be uncharacteristic of their type," Professor Oak paused for a second, and then grunted as if agreeing with himself, "It seems only natural that a pokemon of that sort would be attracted to someone with an affinity for understanding pokemon."

Tracey just looked on and grunted, a usual sign from the Pokemon Watcher that he understood. Delia's attention hadn't left her son. "They grow up so fast don't they…" She began to tear up, "I know everyone says that, but when you find yourself washing pokemon pajamas one day and watching your kid compete in a regional championship the next, it really hits home. I bet you he's starting to think about his next adventure now." She smiled through her tears, "He's going to leave me again, soon. But I'll be here, ready and waiting for my little pokemon master to come home!" Delia cried out, much louder than intended. Luckily the group at the tables was caught up in small talk and didn't notice, but she left Tracey and Oak staring in an awkward silence.

"He's always been able to take care of himself, Mrs. Kethcum," Tracey reassured her, "I'm sure that even if he does take off again he'll be fine." Professor Oak nodded, remembering back to the day when Ash first received Pikachu.

"He really has grown quite a bit since meeting Pikachu. I've got a lot of faith in that young man," Oak said, "I believe he'll do just fine in life, no matter where he is or who he's with."

**

* * *

**

The sun begins setting and the group moves inside, recalling their pokemon to their pokeballs. "Well happy birthday Ash, and I'm glad I could give you a present of some sort," Mason said with a smile, "but we'd better get going if we're going to make it to the pokemon center before dark."

"Why don't you just stay here for the night?" Ash suggested. "There's plenty of room and I'm sure the professor won't mind."

"Not to mention the pokemon loved meeting you, and I'm sure they'd like to see you once more before you go!" Dawn chimed in, "I've never seen someone who's made Cyndaquil act like that before."

"Well, if you guys are sure it won't be an imposition, I'd really appreciate having a place to stay," Mason said, then looked down at Noone, "Whaddya think? Wanna stay here tonight?" Noone simply walked over to May and rubbed against her leg, almost causing her to lose her balance. May reached down and gave her a pat on the head. "Well, it's settled then, as long as Noone's alright with it." Noone let out a chirp in agreement and walked back to Mason.

Ash and Delia stood in the doorway, ready to go home. "You guys'll be here in the morning, right?" Ash asked, afraid his time with his friends might already be over.

"We'll be here," Misty answered, "Promise. We'll be staying here for the week, right Mrs. Ketchum?" Ash's face lit up at hearing this.

"That's right, I made sure everyone was set for a small vacation before they came over." Delia said with a certain tone of accomplishment.

"Alright!" Ash jumped with joy, "It'll be just like old times. I'm sure we can find tons of things to do!"

"Already taken care of, too," Professor Oak said, "Your mom made arrangements and plans for the entire week. Trust me when I say you guys will have a blast." He smiled at Delia who let out a giggle.

"I wish Max could have been here with us, but I'm glad to hear he's doing so well at the gym." Ash looked at the time, "I wonder why he hasn't called yet."

"Oh you know Max, Ash. I'm sure he's been dying to tell you all about his adventures at the gym, but he's also doing everything he can to make sure he doesn't mess up." May smiled, "He'll call as soon as he gets the chance, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah!" Ash laughed, "Alright guys. I'll see you bright and early! Thanks again for everyone coming over! And it was great meeting you Mason!" Ash and Delia took off down the hill towards home.

A few minutes later, the tables were empty and the last of the dishes were being done.

"Man…I've gotta say, it's great being together again!" May said, washing up at the sink. "It seems like it's been forever since I last saw any of you guys."

"Yeah, and it's been great meeting you, Misty! You too, Tracey!" Dawn winked at Misty who winked back. "It's so exciting thinking about spending an entire week here!"

"Yes, very, but for now I think it's time to get some rest. I'll show you to your rooms." Professor Oak led everyone but Tracey upstairs. There was a long hallway filled with rooms for guests, plenty of space for everyone to stay. He showed everyone to their rooms and went downstairs to help Tracey. Tracey was finishing up closing the lab down for the evening, taking care to lock every door and window. Finally, he checked on the pokemon outside, who were all fast asleep and calm as usual. The lights in the lab went out and everything was still.

* * *

**A/N:** So this one's even longer than the one before, which, again, was not what I had planned. Then again, half of the things I have in this story weren't part of the plan and they worked beautifully (I hope), so who knows? As always, reviews of any kind are warmly welcomed!

Mason found his way to the group (thanks to Poof) and Ash has disovered he's got an entire week to spend with all of his friends. What's happening with Max all the way in Hoenn? And whatever happened to that island Mewtwo took over? Plenty to come in future chapters, so stay tuned! (Hooray T.V. References!)

P.S. I'll be adding in a character profile for Mason, for any interested in his history.


	3. The Wishmaker's sorrow

**A/N:** I got the char. profile up for Mason, you can find it in my profile. If you guys would prefer, I can just add in things like that as extra chapters. Otherwise I'll keep doin' it the way I am. Let me know!

Here's the update for the day, hope you like it!

* * *

Back in Hoenn, even with all of the lights out across most of the towns, a few restless souls were still stirring. May's brother Max was still hard at work studying an upcoming challenger's pokemon for his dad. He'd already taken care of his chores and locked the gym up, and he was starting to feel drowsy. Soon he decides that he'll continue his work tomorrow.

As he's putting his books away back on the shelf he looks at the calendar and realizes what day it is. "Waaah! Oh no! I was supposed to call Ash and wish him a happy birthday! I wonder if it's too late! Maybe if I just-"

"Max…" A very familiar voice calls out to him, one he hasn't heard in a long time.

"It…can't be…" Max drops the remaining books and slowly walks to the window, looking out and waiting.

At the same time, a boy is passing the gym heading to the pokemon center next door. He stops when he sees Max suddenly appear in the window of the gym, looking up to the sky with tears in his eyes. He stands there in shock for a few moments before the boy comes crashing out of the gym, running straight past him.

"Uh…Hey! Wait!" The boy takes off after Max, chasing him through what was left of the town and into the nearby forest. The boy was obviously upset for some reason and it wouldn't be safe in the forest. "Stop! Where are you-Gahhh." There was obviously no stopping Max, so he just decided to keep chasing him until he tired himself out.

Max was sure of it when he heard the voice the second time, but it was so sad, and completely empty. It filled Max with pain hearing his best friend in such a state. "Don't worry! I'm coming Jirachi!" He yells as he keeps running. The boy behind him can't help but become even more confused after hearing Max mention the legendary pokemon Jirachi, the supposed wish granter that's only supposed to appear once every thousand years.

Suddenly Max trips over what he thinks at first is a stick, but he turns around to find that it was actually a sleeping seviper. The pokemon turns to Max, enraged not only at having been woken up, but at the new injury on its tail. Max finally realizes exactly how far he's run and that he's completely defenseless without any pokemon.

"Flamethrower!" Max is taken by surprise again when he sees a boy and a charmander about 10 feet away. The charmander uses a flamethrower attack on the seviper, engulfing it in flames. The seviper quickly turns and slithers away back into the brush. "Hey, stop!" The boy yells, even though Max has no intention of running any further. All he wants now is to cry, knowing his friend's in pain somewhere and there's nothing he can do to help.

"Jirachi…" Max looks up once more, then buries his face into has hands and begins crying. "I can't…I can't do anything to help him! I'm a horrible friend!"

After a minute of sobbing, he stands up and wipes his eyes, approaching the stranger. "Thanks for the help…what are you doing out here anyway?"

"Chasing you, obviously. It's late and it's not safe out here, especially without any pokemon." The boy can see that Max is very distraught over something, and even though he knows Max is obviously crazy, decides to help the boy back to wherever it is he needs to be. He holds out his hand for Max to take. "I'm Tyrel, Pokemon Breeder. What's your name?"

Max takes the boys hand and gives it a quick shake. "My name's Max. My dad's the leader of the Petalburg gym, where I'm studying to become a Pokemon Trainer. How'd you know I was out here in the first place?" Max asked, still confused as to why this boy was here.

"I followed you after you came tearing out of the gym. I was on my way to the pokemon center at the time," Tyrel smiled, "You're lucky I was late getting into town. Seviper's poison sting can leave a nasty mark."

"Yeah, I guess," Max replied, his mind still fixed on Jirachi. He had never heard his friend so sad before, and shouldn't he be resting? It's only been a few years since the incident with the millennium comet, nowhere near a thousand. Something was wrong, and he was determined to find out what it was. If there was anyone in the world who had any idea what might have happened, it was Professor Oak.

"Let's get you back to the gym," Tyrel suggested, "I'm sure your dad wouldn't want you out here this la- Hey! Wait!" Suddenly the boy began running again, this time back towards the town. "What the…where does this kid get so much energy?" Tyrel's charmander lets out a cry, and he recalls her into her pokeball, then starts chasing after the boy again. "Wait up!"

"Sorry! I need to figure out how to get to Kanto as soon as possible!" Max yells back as he keeps running. He's surprisingly fast and is slowly pulling away from Tyrel before Tyrel yells back.

"There's a ferry in Slateport tomorrow! Wait!" Tyrel continues running, almost as fast as he can now. Almost a second too late he realizes that Max has stopped and is standing in his path. He screeches to a halt only inches away from the young boy. After catching his breath, he continues. "I was passing through town on my way to Slateport. We can take a boat there tomorrow, and the ferry leaves in the late afternoon. We can be in Kanto the day after tomorrow."

Max's eyes lit up at the thought of meeting Professor Oak again. The moment was short-lived when he realized why it was he needed to see the professor in the first place. "So you don't mind if I go with you? I don't have any pokemon yet and I don't know if I could make it by myself…"

"Why not? As long as you're not a nuisance, it'd be nice to have some company along the way." Tyrel smiled, realizing the boy was still depressed about something. "First we've got to get you back to the gym and make sure it's alright with your parents that you go."

"Sure. Follow me." Max led Tyrel back to town and to the gym, the pokemon center resting right next door. "I'll ask my dad in the morning. Where will you be?"

"I'll be staying next door in the pokemon center. I'll be up bright and early, so be ready to leave." Tyrel waved goodbye to Max and walked over and into the pokemon center. Max went back into the gym and tried to sleep, but couldn't get the sound of Jirachi's voice out of his head. He finally fell asleep to the memory of his mom's lullaby being sung by May.

* * *

At Professor Oak's lab, while everything is still and quiet, a pokeball opens and goes unnoticed. Moments later, another one opens, and then one more. The three pokemon had waited until their trainer was fast-asleep before sneaking out. However, they didn't go very far.

Hours pass and the sun begins to shine through into the lab. Tracey is already up, preparing for another day of work. Brock, Mason and Dawn are still asleep while Misty and May are climbing out of bed to get ready for a fun day of activities. Suddenly a cry is heard coming from May's room. Dawn, who was staying in the same room, jumps out of her bed as Misty rushes in to investigate. Tracey shows up a few seconds later.

"My pokemon! Team Rocket must have been here, Munchlax, Glaceon and Skitty are gone!" May was holding her three empty pokeballs in her hand for everyone to see. "Do those guys **ever** give up?"

Misty was the first to notice the discrepancies and spoke up. "May, why would Team Rocket only steal those three? And why would they take them out of their pokeballs instead of just taking the pokeballs too?"

"Besides, I locked all of the doors and windows, and they were still locked this morning when I woke up." Tracey added, "Nobody came in or out all night, or if they did, they were really good at concealing their tracks, and that doesn't sound like Team Rocket."

"But if nobody stole them, then where…wait a minute, where's that boy Mason?" Everyone looked around at each other for a second, then May became furious, still not taking into account what Misty and Tracey had just mentioned. "That little thief! It was all a plot to come here and steal our pokemon!"

Before anybody could stop her, May went storming out of the room headed straight for Mason's to look for any evidence he might have left behind. She opened the door and gasped, shocked at what she saw. There in the bed was Mason, fast asleep. Cuddled up next to him with his arm draped over her was Noone, while on his other side lay Glaceon. Skitty was asleep at the head of the bed and Munchlax had fallen asleep towards the foot of the bed. Noone's ears perked up and she lifted her head as May entered the room. She gave what seemed to be a smile and a small whine before laying her head back down.

"What is it, Noone?" Mason asked without opening his eyes, "Just give it a minute, it'll go away." May was a little confused by this but wrote it off as an effect of still being half-asleep. She then cleared her throat, bringing Mason to full alert. "Eh-Oh hi. May was it? Sorry, did I sleep in too long?"

"Noooo,' May said with a high tone, finding the scene in front of her to be rather cute, "Look on the bed." Mason took a quick glance around and noticed the company that had joined him overnight. "It looks like you made quite the impression yesterday!" May giggled, "They've never let themselves out of their pokeballs before. They must really like you."

"Yeah," Mason chuckled, slightly embarrassed, "that happens. Sorry about that, I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Glaceon and Skitty lifted their heads and stretched before rolling back into the bed, inching just a little closer to Mason.

"Oh, no! There's no trouble!" May said quietly, not wanting to wake her pokemon again, "I was afraid someone had taken them, but I can see they're in good hands." She smiled as Mason reached over and gave Glaceon a pat on the belly. "We'll be downstairs in a few minutes for breakfast, you're welcome to join us!"

"That'd be lovely," Mason answered. May gave a big smile before leaving and closing the door behind her. She turned and jumped, surprised to see everyone was standing directly behind her.

"So what is it? What's wrong?" Dawn asked, still droopy-eyed and dressed in her pajamas.

May giggled, reminded again of the cute scene she had just witnessed. "Apparently they snuck off in the middle of the night to fall asleep with Mason. I'd probably be mad at them, but they just seemed so happy there with him that I figured I'd give them a few more minutes before any scoldings."

"Aw, how cute!" Dawn cried, clasping her hands together. She and the other girls giggled. Tracey just smiled at seeing how well they all got along. Ash said it right when he said they were meant to meet, and to become best friends. He'd be happy to see them all again today, but there was still a lot to do, so Tracey headed downstairs to get breakfast ready.

Everyone else returned to their rooms to get dressed for the day. Misty took the liberty of waking Brock from his rather pleasant dreams of working alongside Nurse Joy, much to his dismay. In a few minutes everyone began making their way into the kitchen. Last to arrive was Mason. Cowering behind him were Glaceon, Skitty and Munchlax, afraid to face their trainer after having misbehaved.

Mason laughed, "Aw, looks like they know they're in trouble." He reached down and rubbed Munchlax's head and whispered, "Don't worry, I don't think she was too angry. Just try giving her a hug and see what she says then." The three pokemon slowly walked over to May with their heads down, then suddenly jumped up and showered her in hugs. She fell back with the three pokemon, laughing and hugging them while everyone laughed with her. They calmed down and she recalled them all into their pokeballs.

Everybody sat down to enjoy their breakfast. It was oddly silent amongst all of them, so Dawn decided to spark a conversation.

"So May, how go the contests?" She asked.

"Oh, same old news. I've gotten quite a few more ribbons but I still couldn't ever beat Drew," May said without smiling.

"Speaking of Drew…" Brock started, hoping May would finish for him.

"Let's not." May said, and forced a smile. Brock was left confused, sure he had seen something between the two of them when they were traveling together. After a moment, May continued. "Let's just say that he can't buy me, or anyone of the other two, with just a few roses." Brock slumped into his chair, disappointed at the news.

"Sorry to hear that," he said, "he seemed like a pretty nice guy."

May smiled, "Part of the past, we're here to have fun, right?"

Brock laughed, "Yeah!" Not much was said for the rest of breakfast. Soon the food was all gone and everyone was helping to clean up.

"Thanks again for giving us a place to stay, and for the breakfast" Mason said to Tracey, "we really do appreciate it. And the food was spectacular." Noone hummed in agreement. Mason walked to the doorway and turned around, "Thanks for everything, everyone! And sorry about Poof's shenanigans yesterday, he's really sweet when he's not being a nuisance," he turned to May, "And sorry about last night. I hope they're not in too much trouble."

May smiled, "After the way they acted this morning, I decided to let them off with a warning." They both laughed.

"Maybe we'll see you guys again sometime," Mason said. Misty's azurill ran up and jumped into Mason's arms to give him a hug before he left. He tugged on its ear a little and it gave a happy sigh before jumping down and running back to Misy. "Bye everyone!" Everyone waved goodbye as Mason opened the door and Ash came bursting through.

"Good Morn-Oh, hey Mason! Sorry!" Mason stepped back a bit and let Ash through.

"Oh no worries, come on in." Ash and Delia came through the door. "I was just saying goodbye. It was great meeting you, and you're an excellent trainer." Ash shook Mason's hand.

"You too! Maybe we can battle again someday!" Ash looked at the rest of the group as Mason and Noone slipped out the door. Mason could hear everyone laughing and enjoying themselves as he made his way down the hill. It was definitely a much more eventful night than he had planned, but they obviously had plans and Mason was more than content to continue on his way with some good memories.

Back at Oak's, the group was chatting amongst themselves as they finished cleaning up after breakfast. Brock and Tracey were discussing pokemon at the sink as they washed dishes, Dawn and Misty were recalling stories of Ash dressing up as a girl while Ash simply gave a few embarrassed chuckles now and again, and May was helping Delia wash off the table.

"So where'd that young man make it off to?" Delia asked May.

"I'm not sure. He never really said where he was going, just that he had to go."

"Well that's too bad, he seemed like a really nice boy. And he had such a lovely ninetails." Delia shrugged, "I guess we were going to be busy today anyway. I'm sure if he's ever back in town he'll stop by for a visit."

"Yeah…" May thought about mentioning that she probably wouldn't be here if that ever happened, but wondered why that would matter in the first place.

Soon there was yelling coming from Ash and Misty as Dawn cowered in the middle of them.

"You are **so** immature and egotistical!" Misty was in Ash's face, staring him down as he stared right back.

"Well I **was **the chosen one, right? If you guys are going to be gossiping about all the times I goofed up you might as well acknowledge some of the things I did to help!"

"Well, mister 'Chosen One,' if you're so high and mighty, how come you never paid me back for my bike that you destroyed?"

Suddenly Ash cringed as the room filled with an air of hostility. A chain reaction was about to occur that he knew wouldn't end well for him.

"Wait a minute…he destroyed your bike?" May asked, walking over. "He torched mine too, brand new and everything." Ash prayed that Dawn wouldn't say anything.

"Hey…now that I think of it, his pikachu is the one who broke **my **bike…" Pikachu cowered behind Ash's shoulder.

"You mean…you destroyed their bikes…too?" Misty was holding back what seemed to be rage, something Ash had experienced before. He simply shut his eyes tight and waited for his just desserts. To his surprise, she began bursting with laughter as the other two joined in.

"You're not…mad?" Ash asked, his arms still up and ready to block whatever's thrown his way.

"I got over the bike thing months before I went back to Cerulean, I just liked giving you a hard time about it," Misty said, talking in-between giggles.

"Mine wasn't really such a big deal either," Dawn added, "it was a lot more fun walking the whole way anyway." The four of them all began laughing and joking with each other, still reminiscing in adventures past.

Further back, Tracey, Brock, Professor Oak and Delia were all watching, chuckling to themselves.

"I remember when things were much more hostile whenever those two were together," Tracey said, gesturing to Ash and Misty. "A lot's changed between them over the years."

"And I've got a pretty good feeling that a lot hasn't," Brock said with a grin on his face, "Time has a way of changing a lot of things in a lot of ways, but once those two start talking again, time always seems to get put on hold."

Tracey chuckled, while Delia and Professor Oak just looked at each other and smiled.

* * *

In the middle of the ocean, a nearly-forgotten island sits, covered in what was once a great laboratory used for cloning. A man in an orange suit stands over the remains of a machine, once used to generate immense amounts of energy, now part of the very island it sits on.

"Is the data entry there?" The man asks. A scientist kneels over the machine and begins picking apart at it. A few seconds later, he holds a small box in his hand, seemingly still operational.

"This is it, sir." The scientist informs the man.

"Perfect. Let's leave this forsaken place." The men get into a helicopter, lifting off and leaving the island for nature to do with what it pleases. They got what they came for. The man in the suit lets out a deep chuckle as he holds just another piece of his elaborate plan in the palm of his hand.

* * *

**A/N:** And there you have it; is Max really hearing Jirachi's voice or is he just plain crazy? Either way, he's lucky that Tyrel came along when he did or he might have been in for more trouble than he was looking for. Mason's said his "thank you's" and "goodbye's" and continued on his way while Ash and friends continue to reminisce in times gone by. Check back in as Tyrel and Max begin their trek to Kanto, shadowed by a very familiar trio of no-good bandits. Plus, who's that crazy kid running around Pallet Town, and is he chasing a haunter?

I hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to leave a review, they make me =D! Also, going to wait until we learn a li'l bit more about Tyrel before I add his character profile, hope nobody minds.


	4. Old Friends and Enemies

**A/N:** =O I got a review! I feel like dancing. =] Thanks for the kind words Jane Hawthorn. I hope it lives up to expectations! Made a change to Mason's Character Profile (which can be found in my profile as one of my stories) adding in an appearance that I realized I left out. =P You might be wondering why, seeing as he left last chapter, but who knows what's to happen next? Hope you enjoy!

* * *

As the sun began shining through the window, Tyrel was already up and ready to leave his room. He checked out of the pokemon center, thanking Nurse Joy for everything. He took a moment to breathe the morning air before heading next door to the pokemon gym. To his surprise, Max was waiting at the door for him, bags packed and everything.

"Alright, let's go!" Max cried, walking away, holding some kind of machine in his hand. Tyrel stood dumbfounded for a second before running to catch up with him.

"You know where you're going?" Tyrel asks.

"Yep. I've got a PokeNav. I used it a while back when I traveled through Hoenn and Kanto, it works fine. I take it we're heading through Oldale town?" Max was still looking at his PokeNav, hitting a few buttons.

"Yes, and we'll be taking a riverboat around into Slateport. It's faster than walking the trail."

Tyrel then pulled Max slightly toward him, helping him to avoid running into a sign. "Watch where you're going."

Max looked up for a second, then gave Tyrel an embarrassed look. "Sorry, won't happen again." He gave the PokeNav one more look-over before closing it and putting it into his pocket. He grabbed the straps on his backpack and walked on, remembering the voices he had heard last night.

The two of them walk on in silence for a few hours. Max's thoughts are bouncing around from excitement to sorrow as he thinks of being able to see his friends again, and then thinks of Jirachi and what kind of trouble he might be in. Tyrel knows there's something going with Max, but isn't going to press anything.

The two of them come upon Oldale town and are in and out of the small town within a few minutes, stopping only to rest for a few moments before continuing on their trail. Soon the sun is hot overhead and they come upon a stream. "Hey Max, what time is it?" Tyrel looks up at the sky to get a bit of an idea. Max pulls out the PokeNav and checks.

"Just about noon. Why? What time do we have to be there?" Max checks the PokeNav again to see how far they are from the docks that Tyrel mentioned. Given the rate at they've been travelling so far, they could reach their destination in about another hour.

"Not for a couple of hours more. We've got some time, why not rest here for a bit?" Tyrel asks, taking his pack off and fishing out his lunch.

"Sounds great, I'm starving." Max sets his pack down and sits on a nearby rock, pulling his sandwich out of his bag. The two of them set everything out before Tyrel opens up a few cans of pokemon food and sets them near the stream. He pulls his pokeballs off of his belt and throws them into the air, letting Charmander, Glaceon and Metagross out. Max gasps at the sight of his metagross.

"A metagross! No way!" Max runs up and examines the pokemon as it eats its lunch. "Metagross are the coolest!"

Tyrel laughed, "Yeah, I've had him since he was just an egg."

"I didn't know metagross had eggs…" Max was still looking over the giant pokemon.

"Neither did Professor Birch, that's why he gave me the egg."

"You know Professor Birch? And he gave you an egg!" Max looked at Tyrel with envy, "That's so cool! Why'd Professor Birch have a beldum egg though? And why'd he give it to you?"

"Well I also hatched my charmander from an egg. She was actually my first pokemon. I found her egg on Mossdeep island near my house. Being so young I didn't know what kind of egg it was, and to my surprise neither did Professor Birch." Tyrel took a bite out of his sandwich.

"Professor Birch didn't know what kind of egg it was? Why wouldn't he know something as simple as a charmander egg?" Max had forgotten completely about his lunch.

"Because they're extremely rare here in the Hoenn region. How often do you see a charmander around here? And how would an egg find its way all the way to Mossdeep Island?" Tyrel took another bite of his sandwich, noticing that Max wasn't eating. "After it hatched, Professor Birch told me that one of his assistants had found another egg in the ruins near Oldale and wanted to know if I'd look after it for him. It took quite some time, but it eventually hatched into a beldum."

"Woaahh…" Max continued to look on with envy. Tyrel simply pointed to Max's hands and he noticed his sandwich was falling apart. He quickly pulled what was left of it together and took a bite.

"After that I decided I wanted to figure out everything I could about pokemon breeding. Why was there a charmander egg on my island? Why was there an unhatched beldum egg in some ancient ruins?" Tyrel finished off his sandwich as his glaceon came up and sat next to him. "I started searching through Sinnoh for beldum in some of the more popular areas to find any answers I could. We tried a gym match once, but didn't have much luck."

Max chuckled, remembering his times with Ash and the gym battles he had. "Not everyone's cut out for battle, I guess."

"It would take time away from my research anyway," Tyrel replied defensively. "Anyway, almost as soon as we found another beldum, they joined and evolved into a metang. Not long afterward we encountered a wild metang that helped mine evolve into this metagross. We had a rough patch for a bit when he wouldn't listen to me, but we settled our differences and he's been a great pokemon ever since."

Charmander and Metagross had finished their meals and Metagross was wading through the water, dodging ember attacks from Charmander, a game they would play quite often.

"Then of course I got another egg while in Sinnoh that hatched into an eevee. It startled me by evolving into a glaceon while we were training near Snowpoint, a place known to have strange properties. The three of us having been roaming the world conducting our research ever since." Tyrel gave Glaceon's head a pat. Glaceon responded by burying her head into Tyrel's leg.

Max was thinking over everything Tyrel had said and suddenly got a perplexed look on his face. "If you've had Charmander for so long, how come your eevee and beldum evolved so much sooner?"

"These are the kinds of questions I want to be able to answer. I honestly can't tell you why because I don't know. Maybe Charmander doesn't want to evolve, maybe she can't evolve. Who knows?" Max was a little disappointed with this answer, but let it be and just finished his sandwich.

The boys sat and watched Metagross and Charmander play in the water. Eventually Glaceon joined them and all manners of splash fights and games of tag took place while the boys just watched and laughed. Little did they know they weren't the only ones watching the pokemon play. Not far away, a familiar pair of eyes peered through a set of binoculars with no-good intent.

**

* * *

**

"Looks like da kid's got a metagross, a glaceon, and a charmander. Da boss would pay big for **any **of those pokemon." Meowth lowered the binoculars as Jessie and James appeared behind him. "But we're not going to catch just **any** **one** of 'em, we're gonna catch **every one**." James and Jessie laughed quietly.

"It'll be a lot easier than trying to battle that twerp too," Jessie mentioned, "These kids will never see us coming!"

"I kinda miss the twerps though, even though they caused us so much trouble," James says sullenly, "We may have been blasted off more times than any of us can count, but those were **our** twerps. Sometimes I wish the boss hadn't re-assigned us…" None of them have recognized Max after a few years.

"Oh quit your whining," Jessie commanded, "The twerps all split up anyway and started being all lazy. We're lucky he didn't just fire us."

"Yeah, besides, once we get these pokemon back, the boss'll be so happy that he'll give us a huge promotion and we can pick wherever we want to go!" Meowth closed his eyes and began daydreaming about sitting on Giovanni's lap and pushing his persian out of the picture.

"What are we waiting for, let's go!" Jessie climbed out of the bush they were hiding in and James and Meowth followed.

At the stream, Tyrel and Max were putting their packs back on and getting ready to go. Suddenly a voice was heard coming from behind them.

"Hey! That's a great-looking glaceon you have there!" Tyrel and Max turned to see a spiky-haired boy with an umbreon.

"Thank you," Tyrel replied, "your umbreon looks great as well." The boy walked up and knelt down next to Glaceon, petting her.

"Did you evolve it from an eevee?" The boy asked.

"Yes, which I hatched from an egg" Tyrel answered matter-of-factly

"Mine too. They're great pokemon, aren't they?" The boy stood up and introduced himself. "My name's Gary Oak, and I'm sorry to interrupt. I was just passing by and couldn't help but notice your glaceon."

"Gary Oak…" Max thought for a second, "Hey wait! Isn't your grandpa Professor Oak?"

"That's right. He's the one who inspired me to become a Pokemon Professor myself. Do you know him?"

"Yeah! My friend Ash knows him really well! He's there with him right now, as well as my sister and a few other friends!"

Gary chuckled, "So you're Max, huh?"

Max paused for a second before answering. "Uh…yeah, how'd you know?"

"Ash told me about you. We've known each other since we were kids. He said he traveled through Hoenn with you and your sister. I'm actually on my way there now to meet up with him for his birthday. I was supposed to be there yesterday, but got a little caught-up. Funny I'd run into you here, huh?"

"Wow! That's just where we were going-" Max stopped to correct himself, "Well, that's where **I** was going, Tyrel's taking me to the ferry."

"Nice to meet you both," Gary said, "If you're heading to Kanto, I take it that means you're heading to Slateport right now?"

"That's right," Tyrel answered, "If you're going the same way, why not join us?"

"Sure." Gary and Tyrel shook hands and they set off. Max pulled the PokeNav out for a second to check their path while Tyrel recalled all of his pokemon.

Not far off, Team Rocket hid in the bushes, watching everything. Jessie was upset at Gary's arrival. "Grrr…It's the twerp's friend. There's no way we'll be able to get past him."

"Hold on a second, dey said dey was headin' back to Kanto to see the twerp, right?" Jessie and James nodded as Meowth talked, "So we follow 'em, stow away aboard the ship and when we gets to Kanto, we steal **everyone's** pokemon! Da boss'll have so many pokemon, he won't have any time to run tings anymore! He'll put us in charge while he takes time off just to count how many we brought 'im!" The three of them giggle for a second before returning to the binoculars to see where the boys are going.

Tyrel, Gary and Max have already taken off on their path, drawing ever closer to the boat that will take them to Slateport city. Team Rocket follows, sticking to the shadows and remaining out of sight. Max's thoughts have been temporarily distracted and he gets to enjoy some nostalgia as he travels with his new friends, maintaining the PokeNav and enjoying a nice, sunny day.

* * *

In Kanto a familiar scene is taking place. A certain boy and his ninetails are chasing a haunter through the streets and small shops of Pallet Town, attempting to retrieve the boy's backpack. The difference is the determination the boy sees in his haunter, who hasn't turned around to insult him once, which is unusual for the unruly pokemon. The streets and shops are all the same as the day before, and the boy might be able to guess where the pokemon was headed if he wasn't so focused on keeping up with him.

Across town at Professor Oak's lab, the group is getting packed for a trip to Johto for the day. Ash's mom has bought six tickets for the magnet train in Saffron, which will take them to the heart of Goldenrod City, the shopping and fun capital of Johto and Kanto. Ash arrived ready to go and Misty, May, Dawn and Brock have all gotten their things together for the day.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Dawn cried, "I've never been to Johto before, let alone Goldenrod City!"

"I only got to pass through it in my time in Johto, but it looked like a blast!" May said, gleaming with anticipation, "There's **so **much shopping to be done!" She and Dawn grabbed hands and jumped for joy.

"Not to mention all the beautiful girls!" Brock began daydreaming, "There will be so many beautiful women just waiting for a young and handsome man like myself to ride by and sweep them off of their feet! I won't be able to pick just one, but there's plenty of love in my heart to go around-GAH!" Ow ow ow!"

Misty instinctively pulls Brock out of the room by the ear, "There's plenty of air in your head to go around, too." May and Dawn laugh.

"Well I'm going to go straight to the trainer store!" Ash grinned with joy. "Maybe they've got some new and fancy pokeball for me to try out! Or maybe they've got videos of me in the Silver Conference! Or the Lily of the Valley Conference!"

"I bet you I can find one of those 'Pokemon Personality' books," Misty said, "It's so exciting to find out what kind of pokemon personality you have!" They all began dreaming of the exciting times they would have in Goldenrod City until Delia spoke up.

"Hey Tracey…is that what you're wearing today?" She noticed that he hadn't changed since breakfast.

"Wait, what? Oh no, I'm not going!" Tracey waved his hands back and forth defensively. "I've got **way** too many things to do here, there's no way I could take the day off."

"But I bought you your ticket!" Delia cried as she became frustrated. "Ohhh, now what are we supposed to do?"

Professor Oak emerged from another room in the lab. "I'm sorry Delia, but I really could use Tracey's help around here. We were planning on excavating the land around the pond and expanding the waters for the water pokemon."

"I understand Professor, but that means I bought an extra ticket for nothing…" Delia frowned.

"Don't worry, mom. Maybe we can exchange it at the train station!" Ash gave his mom a thumbs up in hopes of cheering her up.

"I wish. Read the ticket." Ash held his ticket in front of him and read aloud.

"Mmm…Saffron…Goldenrod…Oh, non-refundable. Dang. That stinks…" Ash frowned as well and the group remained silent for a moment.

Suddenly May screamed and the group turned to see what was wrong. Deja vu sets in as they see her lift off of the ground and wiggle in place. This time, however, she hovers toward the door.

"What the…eh, hey!" Ash yells and makes a run for May. He's too late as the door swings open and she floats outside. The group all follow after her, attempting to reach her before anything happens.

Outside May is floating along even faster now, only a few feet off of the ground. "Waaahh! Not agaaaiin!" Suddenly she feels herself falling toward the ground and braces for the impact. Instead she's surprised when she feels a pair of arms lock around her and pull her tight, stopping her fall. She looks up to see Mason again with Noone beside him, both breathing heavily.

"Sorry…about…that…" Mason sighs between gasps.

"Hey! What's going on!" Ash yells as he makes his way down the hill next to May. "Hey what's the big idea!"

Meanwhile May is still looking up at Mason, not quite aware of just how comfortable she is in that moment. For just a few seconds he looks down and their eyes meet as she notices the color in them. A sudden flashback of Drew and his antics causes her regain her thoughts and she steps away from Mason, her face beginning to turn a dark red.

"Oh don't worry, I'm fine! I'm just lucky you were there to catch me," She says to Mason. Mason continues to breathe heavily, though only as a cover. It seemed odd, but for a moment he had forgotten completely about everyone else around them as he stared at May.

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it," he says. Suddenly Poof appears in front of May, smiling as big as he can. She's startled for a second, but relaxes when he moves closer and hugs her. Soon he's glowing red as Mason recalls him into his pokeball, dropping the pack behind him once more. "I really am very, truly sorry about that. Apparently he really likes you and I guess he wanted to say goodbye before we left. I made the mistake of taking my eye off of my pack for a second and he was off, but he knew where he was going this time."

Just then Misty's azurill came racing past them and jumped into Mason's arms. He gave it another tug on the ear and it cried out in happiness, causing everyone to laugh.

"It's really no problem," May said, "He was just as gentle today as he was yesterday. And you'll have to give him a hug for me sometime." May smiled.

"Sure." Mason smiled back. He put Azurill down and he ran back and jumped into Misty's arms again. A pokeball opens from May's belt and Glaceon appears. She and Pikachu run up to Mason and jump on him, almost knocking him over. He scratches Glaceon ears a few times and ruffles the hair on Pikachu's head. The two of them cry out in joy at being able to see Mason once more. After a moment Mason puts Pikachu back on the ground and he runs back to Ash as Glaceon continues to rub her head against Mason's leg.

"You know, the pokemon all seem to really like you, and Poof obviously likes May," Brock said, causing May to blush again, "you wouldn't happen to be busy today and tomorrow, would you?" Everyone turned to Brock, confused as to what he was getting at.

"Aside from the normal schedule of just walking to wherever the trail leads, no. Why?"

"We happen to have an extra ticket for the magnet train," everyone's faces lit up as they realized what Brock had planned, "and it also happens to be non-refundable. If you haven't got anything planned, why not join us? It's going to be a blast!"

"Well, I dunno." Mason looked down toward where Noone would normally be, but was surprised to see that she was already sitting across from him, rubbing her head against May's leg. May reached down and scratched her behind the ear and Noone gave her a smile. Everyone laughed at the sight of the two trainers' exchanged pokemon. "I guess that settles it, then!"

After a few moments of celebrating everyone returned to the lab to make the final arrangements for the trip. Mason got changed into some more comfortable clothes and met everyone downstairs where Delia was going through a quick checklist to make sure everything was set.

"Come onnnn Mom! We're ready, I promise! Can we just go?" Ash asked, growing impatient.

"There! All set!" Delia put her checklist into her purse and opened the door, "Time to go! Everyone load up into the van!" The group all ran out of the lab, yelling their goodbyes to Tracey and Professor Oak as they went. They all piled into the van, ready and eager for the trip to Goldenrod. Brock sat up front with Delia as the navigator, Mason and Ash in the middle seats, Noone and Pikachu buckled up between them, and the girls sat together in the back. Delia started up the van and the group took off, headed for Saffron City.

* * *

Somewhere far off on a small island lies the rubble of a once-operational flying fortress. The remnants are those of the Flying Palace, owned and operated by Pokemon Collector Lawrence III, who was obsessed with capturing Lugia and the legendary trio of birds to add to his collection.

Having lain on such a small and desolate island, the remains of this giant machine have been undisturbed for years. There now stands a man amongst the scattered and broken pieces, holding a picture and digging through the rubble. For a moment, it seems as though he is ready to give up, until he spots an object in the distance. He makes a run for it, scattering torn and smashed garbage as he goes. He clears as much trash off of the object as he can and examines it. It's not operational, but in tact. He grins as he pulls out a PokeGear and makes a call.

"Sir, I've found it…Yes sir, of course…It won't run right now, but it's fully intact and…Understood. Immediately." The man puts the PokeGear away and pulls out a remote control, pressing one of the buttons. A submarine appears near the coast and a crew of men rush to the scene. "Pack it up. Be careful, it needs to remain intact."

The man walks off, at first chuckling, and then bursts into maniacal laughter.

* * *

**A/N:** And scene. I hate leaving it like this, but again, if I were to continue it'd be twice as long before we could stop again. Still, these things seem to be getting longer and longer. I can only hope that's a good thing!

Tyrel and Max have begun their trip to Kanto, along the way meeting up with none other than Gary Oak! The three of them continue on their trail, followed closely by Team Rocket, who are up to their normal schemes. Thanks to Poof, Mason's been reunited with Ash and friends, and at the perfect time! As Tracey was unable to go on the trip to Goldenrod, Mason agreed to fill in for the day. What kind of exciting adventures await in Goldenrod? And a surprise visit from his old friends leaves Team Magma ex-member Butler no chioce but to become part of something far more sinister than anything he's ever done. More fun and suspense in the next chapter!

P.S. Going to add a Char. Profile for Tyrel. Seeing as how things went with Mason's, I'll probably do it as another chapter, dunno yet.

Please review! Anything, good or bad, will brighten my day!


	5. Tyrel Character Profile

**A/N:** After thinking about it, I just decided to add this in as a chapter. I didn't want to since it's not **really** part of the story, but it'll be easier than people going out of their way to find out more about a character.

* * *

**Character Profile: Tyrel**

Tyrel is a 16 year old aspiring Pokemon Breeder, taking a very keen interest in pokemon interactions with one-another, as well as evolution. Unlike many young trainers starting their journey who receive one of three starter pokemon, Tyrel stumbled upon an egg on his home island of Mossdeep. After Prof. Birch was unable to identify it, Tyrel took care of it until it hatched into a charmander, one of the starter pokemon of the Kanto region. Prof. Birch was so intrigued by Tyrel's find that he entrusted him with yet another egg that one of his helpers had found in the field. In time, this egg hatched into a beldum. From that sparked an interest that to this day has driven him across the world conducting studies of pokemon.

**Character:**

Tyrel is an outspoken person, voicing his opinion in any forum whether in the majority or not. He puts immense faith in his beliefs and is very willing to defend them, whether by argument or by battle. He's been known to be hot-headed and easily frustrated by ignorance, lashing out at people who make stupid or easily-debunked claims. He is otherwise a very coolheaded and calm person, even in battle. The only time he was known to be distraught while battling was when he attempted to take on Roark of the Oreburgh City gym, when his beldum was still very young and he otherwise relied on his charmander which was easily defeated by the rock-types that Roark used. Since then, Tyrel has made no attempts at any gym badges. To this day he continues on his path to become a Pokemon Breeder, and even hatched an eevee that later evolved into a glaceon. Upon his return to Hoenn, Tyrel decided to compete in the resident competitions as a recreational pastime. To his surprise, he won the first two he attempted, one with his charmander and the other with his glaceon. He has yet to express any interest in competing in the Grand Festival. Tyrel currently resides in Mossdeep and can be found traversing the Hoenn region conducting research.

**Appearance:**

Tyrel is 5'11" with light-blue hair spiked toward the back and brown eyes. He wears a blue and white striped shirt tucked into his pants which are a very dusty yellow. His shoes are white flat-bottoms. Now and again he can be seen wearing glasses.**  
**

**Trainer Class:**

Tyrel's ambition in life is to become an entirely new class of Pokemon Breeder, specializing in "selective breeding," in which trainers can breed a pokemon exactly to their liking right down to their nature. Tyrel also shows many of the traits of a Pokemon Professor, being very knowledgeable in specific areas of pokemon research and pursuing further knowledge by any means available whenever opportunity strikes. He and his pokemon have battled quite a bit on their journeys, though Tyrel has only ever attempted one gym battle early on in his career, which he lost. He has, however, acquired two of the Hoenn region ribbons from local contests, which took him by surprise. He has yet to decide whether or not to attempt the Grand Festival, which could take time away from his traveling and research.

**Pokemon:**

Tyrel's first pokemon was a female charmander that hatched from an egg he found on his home island in the Hoenn region. This was an extremely odd occurrence, as charmander is one of the starter pokemon of the Kanto region and isn't commonly found in the Hoenn region, let alone as an egg. It has been with him since a young age and has yet to express any interest in evolving. Upon seeing the wonderful condition that his charmander was in, Prof. Birch of Hoenn entrusted another unidentifiable egg to Tyrel's care. This egg hatched into a beldum, a resident pokemon of the Hoenn region which was known to have very odd evolution characteristics. After his second egg hatched, Tryel ventured into the Sinnoh region to study beldum in their natural habitat. Throughout his time in the Sinnoh region, his beldum evolved first into a metang and then into a metagross not long afterward. After evolving so quickly, Tyrel's metagross became unruly and refused to listen to the young breeder for a short period, until he was cornered by a pair of ursaring, where Tyrel showed great trainer skills in commanding his charmander to dispatch of them quite easily. Since then his metagross has been loyal to his commands. Tyrel's final pokemon is a glaceon that evolved from an eevee he acquired through an egg in the Sinnoh region. While traveling near Snowpoint City, Tyrel was training with his eevee. To his surprise, it began evolving. Everything he had learned about eevee had been that it needed a stone of some sort in order to evolve. He later learned of the special properties of leafeon and glaceon, only further fueling his drive to learn all about pokemon evolution, using the help of his newly evolved glaceon.


	6. Welcome to Goldenrod

**A/N:** This is honestly going much better than I had thought it would. Thanks to those of you who review/favorite my story. Gives me fuzzies.

Here's the daily dose, hope you like it!

* * *

The van arrives at the Saffron City train station with a few minutes to spare. The group all pile out, stretching and yawning.

"We made it!" Ash begins running toward the entrance with Pikachu following close behind. "Look Pikachu! There's the train!" He stops and points up toward the track as a train was pulling in. Pikachu cries out and hops up onto his shoulder. "Let's go!"

"Ash!" Delia called out after him, but it was too late as he'd already entered the station. "Oh, that boy. He never can sit still. He forgot his luggage."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum," Brock said, "I'll grab it. It's nothing I haven't done for him before!" They both laughed. At the back of the van, the girls were all fishing their packs out and making sure they had everything they needed.

"A change of clothes for the morning, toothbrush…" Dawn zipped her pack up, "All set! I'll see you guys in there!" She took off for the entrance. Misty and May were just finishing checking their packs as Brock grabbed his and Ash's. May closed hers and took off like Dawn before her.

Suddenly a loud thud was heard and everyone turned around. There was May pressed against the glass window she had just run into. Back at the van, Misty and Brock simply stared while Delia gasped. Inside the station laughter could be heard coming from Ash who had witnessed the entire thing.

Mason slowly walked over and opened what was actually the door. May took a step back and gave an embarrassed chuckle before stepping through. Soon everyone was inside and ready to go.

"Alight kids, be careful!" Delia was seeing everyone off, "And Ash, don't forget to brush your teeth!" Ash's face turned bright red as the girls giggled.

"Mom! I've got it! We'll be fine, don't worry!" Ash gave his mom a hug and walked away, waving goodbye. "Thanks again for the wonderful present! We'll be sure to tell you all about it!"

The group boards the train and is shown to their cart, which to their surprise is completely empty. Ash and Pikachu ran straight to the first seat and peered out the window, where the rest of Saffron City could be seen. Misty follows close behind and takes a seat next to him.

"Hey!" Ash turns and yells when he realizes she's there, "What's the deal! We've got an entire cart!"

Misty giggled, "Yeah, but this is my seat, see?" She held up her ticket with her seat number, which Ash checked. He then checked his own ticket and saw he was already in his own seat and sighed. "Don't worry," Misty gave a wink, "I promise to be nice." She and Ash laughed as he sat down.

Brock and Dawn put their packs in the overhead compartments and took their seats next to each other, directly behind Ash and Misty. Behind them were Mason and May, with Noone on the ground between them. The "Fasten Seat Strap" light came on and everyone buckled up as the train powered up. A deep hum was heard coming from the floor and Azurill hid in Misty's jacket. She patted him on the head and comforted him, assuring him that everything was fine.

Soon the train was in motion and moving at incredible speeds. The conductor came on over the intercom: "We've just left Saffron City headed for Goldenrod City. We have an estimated travel time of only 50 minutes, so we should be arriving within the hour. Please remain seated with your belts fastened while the train is in motion. Thank you for riding the Magnet Train."

Mason looked down at Noone, who was laying on the floor resting her head on her paws. "Did you hear that? Buckle up, missy." Noone let loose an ember attack on Mason. May giggled.

"Just like my blaziken used to do as a torchic." May reached down and gave Noone a pat on the head as Noone smiled at her accomplishment. In front of them, Brock had pulled out a map of Goldenrod City and was plotting out different routes and spots for them to meet up at at certain times.

"Come on Brock! I can't see out the window!" Dawn shoved the map into Brock's lap and peered out the window, astonished to see the world go zooming by at such a fast speed.

"Excuse me, but I'm doing this work so nobody else has to." Brock leaned over the map and continued to doodle on it, his spiky hair now blocking Dawn's view. She let out a groan and slumped back in her seat, crossing her arms.

Ash was still peering out his window as the world zoomed by. "Woah…" He had his hands against the window while Pikachu watched from Ash's shoulder. "Isn't it awesome, Pikachu?" Pikachu cried out in agreement as the world whizzed past them in a flash.

"You wanna see, Azurill?" Misty opened her jacket and Azurill peeked out. He took a step forward, standing cautiously for a moment before running back into the safety of Misty's jacket. "Aw, don't worry. We'll be there before you know it!"

"I hope so!" Ash turns back and faces the front of the train, daydreaming, "There's going to be plenty of trainers to battle and pokemon to see! Maybe even some wild ones to catch! You ready, Pikachu?" Pikachu held up his hand in agreement.

Misty laughed, "Some things will never change, will they?"

"You mean like how you could never beat me?" Ash smirked.

"I seem to recall Psyduck beating Kingler in a certain tournament held just for water pokemon."

"That was luck!"

"Imagine, the great Ash Ketchum, beaten by a girl." Misty giggled.

Dawn peeked her head around to comment, "Wait, you mean **you** beat **Ash**? Amazing!"

"It was pure luck!" Ash yelled, "Psyduck didn't even use a water move to beat Kingler!"

"It was your fault," Misty said, "you made Kingler use vicegrip and gave Psyduck his headache. Either way, you were eliminated." Misty stuck her tongue out at Ash who growled back.

"I still can't believe it either, beaten by a dumb Psyduck that can't even swim…"

Misty's face turned to a scowl as she turned and grabbed Ash by the collar. "**My psyduck is not dumb**!" She shook Ash a few times, "**You're the dummy!**" Dawn simply watched with a dumbfounded look while Brock continued fussing with his map. Further back Mason noticed the commotion.

"So…how do you all know each other again?" Mason asked May, hoping that an answer to what was going on might be in there somewhere.

"Well we're all best friends, but we know each other thanks to Ash," May started, "He wants to become a Pokemon Master and has been traveling ever since he was ten. Along the way we've all traveled with him for some period of time. He and Misty traveled all though Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto together. My brother and I were with him in his travels through Hoenn and the Kanto Battle Frontier. Dawn was with him throughout Sinnoh. Brock's been there since the beginning, until he recently left to study to become a Pokemon Doctor. Even though we've all been separated by such long distances, we've all been best friends since the moment we met." She smiled, remembering when she first joined Ash, back when she despised pokemon.

"So why is it that those two always seem to be duking it out?" Mason asked, looking forward again. Misty's let go of Ash's collar and they're in each other's faces, arguing about a tododile.

Brock turned toward the window with his map in front of him, "You should have seen it a long time ago, when they were actually fighting. That was not something you wanted to get in the middle of."

"Well if that's not fighting…then what is it?" Mason asked, still watching the front seat.

"Well, some might call it flirting, but I think it's a bit beyond that stage by now." Brock chuckled.

"**What**?" May burst out, then quieted down, "You mean Misty and Ash? No way!"

Meanwhile Dawn had turned around and was eavesdropping and decided to add her opinion. "I think they'd be really cute! You should have seen how Ash acted when I tried to take his 'Misty Super Lure' away from him!" She giggled at the memory.

"Now that you mention it…" As May's about to finish her thought, the yelling is replaced with laughter. Everyone looks forward to see Ash and Misty giggling together. When the laughter subsides, they smile at each other for a moment in silence. Soon they realize that everyone is focused on them. Ash's face turns red and he turns to face the window again, almost flinging Pikachu off of his shoulder. Misty turns the other way and simply looks at the floor. Dawn and May giggle while Brock just smirks.

He turns back and whispers, "See what I mean? Have faith in Brock, I know my way around the battlefield of love."

"Coming from the guy who's been rejected by every girl he's ever talked to," Dawn says as she turns to May and winks. Brock's face turns sullen as he sulks down into his seat.

Mason looks forward again at Ash and Misty, who have gone back into their own little worlds, Ash admiring the passing sights and Misty comforting Azurill. Noone notices Mason's face and sits up and nudges his leg. "Oh shush," he says to her. He scratches her behind her ear and she starts kicking her leg. Pikachu notices once more and hops over Brock's seat and into Mason's lap, causing him to jump. "Well hey there, Pikachu!"

Ash turns to see what's happening and laughs when he sees Mason petting Pikachu. "Enjoying yourself, buddy?" He calls out. Pikachu turns and gives Ash a big smile.

"It's so cute to see how the pokemon act around you," May said, "almost as though you've known each other forever." She gives Pikachu a pat on the head before he hops back onto the back of the seat and over to Ash, who hugs him. "I'm really glad you got to come on this trip with me," she says absent-mindedly.

Mason turns and looks at her, "Really?" Noone's ears perk up and she looks toward May. Meanwhile Brock is eavesdropping in the seat in front of them.

"**Us!**" She blurts out, attempting to correct herself. "Eh-I mean, the pokemon all really like you, and I'm glad they'll be able to spend some more time with you." May giggled and turned red. Mason chuckled and put his hand behind his head. Noone's face lit up and she laid her head on May's lap, making Mason and May laugh. Brock let out a soft chuckle before folding his map up and putting it away.

The group all settled into their seats and got comfortable for the rest of the ride. In less than an hour, they'd all be touring the grand Goldenrod City, and dreams of all of the fun they would have began filling their heads.

* * *

The day wasn't going so great in other parts of the world. A small rainstorm had made its way over the southern parts of Hoenn, drenching Tyrel, Gary and Max on their way to Slateport city.

"I thought the boat we were going to take was going to be a bit bigger…" Max said. The three of them were on a small motorboat speeding down the river. Tyrel had made arrangements with the owner to take it to Slateport, where he would dock it for the owner to pick up when he returns from Kanto.

"It's what we've got, so we've got to make it work." Tyrel was manning the rudder, though the path was a pretty straight one.

"This rain isn't helping at all…" Gary was holding his pack over his head, though the wind was blowing the rain into his face. "Are you sure this way is faster?"

"Would you rather be walking right now?" Tyrel asked. Gary simply grunted and tried his best to keep himself dry. Max had put the PokeNav into a plastic bag and stored it in his pack.

The three of them had been riding in the boat for the past half hour, and it had only just started raining. Luckily for them, Slateport wasn't too much further ahead. In only a few minutes, they arrived and docked the small boat, stepping out to re-acquire their land-legs.

"What a relief!" Max cried as he stretched. The three of them were in the local pokemon center, drying off. "When does the ferry leave?"

"In twenty minutes, so we don't have much time," Gary said as he came out of the hallway, already dressed in dry clothes. "Hurry up and get changed or we might miss it."

The other boys took off to the dressing rooms and emerged a few minutes later. With only a few minutes to go, they hurried up and ran to the ferry.

"Tickets please," The man standing in front of the bridge to the ferry said in a scruffy voice.

"**Wait**!" Max yelled, struck by an epiphany, "I don't have a ticket! Oh noooo!" Max slapped himself in the head and leaned back, hating himself for making such a stupid mistake.

"Yes you do." Tyrel reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Max. "The professor gave me a ticket after I had already bought mine, so you can have the extra."

Max took the ticket and smiled. "Wow! Thanks a lot!" He proudly presented his ticket to the man who tore it in half and handed one of the halves back to Max. Gary and Tyrel followed behind him. Stewardesses were present to help direct passengers to their rooms.

"May I see your ticket stub, sir?" She asked Tyrel. He handed her the stub and she pointed straight down the hallway behind her. "Your room will be about halfway down on the left, room number 155. Thank you for riding the S.S. Cloud! Next please!"

Max approached and handed her his stub. "You'll be on the second floor, take the stairs straight ahead and ask one of the stewardesses down there. Thank you for riding the S.S. Cloud! Next please!"

Gary did the same as the two before him. "You'll be on the second floor as well, sir. Just take the stairs and one of the stewardesses down there will assist you. Thank you for riding the S.S. Cloud! Next please!"

The three of them grouped up before going their separate ways. "Alright, the Deck is closed for the rain," Tyrel explained, "but the Dining Hall is still open to passengers throughout the trip." He looked at his watch. "How about we meet up there in two hours when the show starts? I need some time to go over my findings, and maybe get a nap in."

"Sounds like a plan, see you there!" Gary took off down the stairs.

"See you!" Max started to leave, but Tyrel stopped him.

"Wait." Max turned and faced him. "I know you're allowed to go around and do whatever you want, but be sure to stay out of trouble. There are a lot of trainers on these rides and not all of them are friendly."

"I won't wander too much! Promise!" Max took off again down the stairs. Tyrel made his way to his room (which was much larger than he had anticipated) and unpacked everything. He sat at the desk they provided and laid out the notes he'd been taking over the last few weeks. Once it was all laid out and ready, he set about the tedious task of organizing it all.

On the floor below, the stewardesses sent Gary and Max down separate hallways to their rooms. Max's was nearly all the way at the end of his hallway, with only two rooms beyond his before the stairwell. He opened the door and was surprised to see how much space he had all to himself. He threw his backpack on the ground and ran to check the small kitchen they had given him for food. The cupboards and refrigerator were all empty, most likely just used for putting leftovers, he figured.

Gary made his way to his room and set his pack down. Umbreon went straight for the bed, jumping up and curling into a ball towards the end. "Yeah, I hear ya." Gary laid back, avoiding setting his feet on Umbreon, and closed his eyes.

Soon a loud horn sounded and the motors started turning. The ship began slicing through the water and heading for Kanto.

* * *

On the magnet train, everyone has been enjoying the short ride to Goldenrod. Ash and Pikachu continued to stare out the window and watch the world pass them by while Misty finally convinced Azurill to come out and enjoy the ride. Brock fell asleep and began snoring before being woken up by Dawn. Mason and May had played a game of Monkey in the Middle with a crumpled piece of Paper and Noone in the middle trying to snap it out of the air.

A voice comes on over the intercom: "If you look out to the west you will see Goldenrod City as we make our approach. Please remain seated and buckled as the train comes to a halt. We will inform you when it is safe to exit your carts. Welcome to Goldenrod City, please enjoy your time in Johto and thank you for riding the Magnet Train."

Everyone began whooping and hollering as Goldenrod came into view. "Now listen, guys," Brock instructed everyone, "when we get off the train, everybody stay together and meet up right outside the station, got it?" Everyone nodded or yelled in agreement.

Soon the train comes to a complete stop and the "Fasten Seat Strap" light flicks off. The group all shoot out of their seats and run toward the doors. The train station is filled with people, both boarding and exiting the train. The group does as Brock instructed and stay together, making their way to the exit.

Everyone steps outside and gasps as the sights. "It's just like I remember it!" Misty twirls, looking at all of the skyscrapers.

"I remember Whitney getting us lost on the way to her own gym," Ash mutters. No one seemed to catch his comment or care one way or the other. Everyone was lost in thought, bursting with excitement as they prepared for a day of shopping and fun.

"Alright, listen up!" Brock held his hand up and everyone turned and circled around him. He pulled out his map and held it in the middle of the circle for everyone to see. "As you all know, there's plenty to do here in Goldenrod, but we need to stay in contact." He points to a spot on the map with an "x" over it. "This is where we'll be meeting for lunch in one hour! So don't go too far!" He folds up the map and puts it away again. "I'll explain everything else over lunch. For now, we all have our PokeGears, right?"

"Yep!" Ash held his up.

"Roger!" Misty flashed a peace sign.

"Yes sir!" May showed hers.

"Right here!" Dawn fished hers out of her pocket.

"Nope." Mason simply smiled. "Never had one. Never needed one, really…"

"Er…Well that's fine. How about you just pair up with someone?" Brock suggested.

"Hey! Why don't you come with me!" Ash turned to face Mason, "We'll visit all the trainer stores and probably get some battles in!"

Mason looked at Noone, "You up for it?" Noone smiled and let out a cry. "Sure, we're game!"

"Alright everyone, remember, one hour!" Brock yelled as everyone split up. Soon they were all off, enjoying their own slice of paradise in Goldenrod City.

* * *

In a very small town in Hoenn, former Team Magma member Butler stared out of his window. There in their garden was Diane, his life-long partner and newlywed wife. The two of them had been through very trying times only a few years back as Butler attempted to use the powers of Jirachi to create a Groudon. After seeing the purity of the wish granting pokemon and those who helped him, he decided to reform his life and take care of the things most important to him. For the past year he and Diane had lived in solitude far from the fast life of the big city, enjoying every day as its own miracle.

As he watches Diane a smile forms on his face. He's thankful once again for the way things have turned out, knowing full well that he wasn't deserving of a second chance, especially not one with Diane.

The smile vanishes almost instantly when a familiar car pulls up beside Diane. Before the passengers can even step out of the car, Butler comes bursting out of the house.

"Diane, go inside, now." His face is blank and his voice is stern. Diane doesn't think twice as she rushes indoors and runs to the window to see what's happening. As she watches, a man exits the car, leaving it running, and approaches Butler.

The man starts to talk, "Old friend! How's-"

"What do you want from me, Richard?" Butler interrupts him, his face still emotionless.

"What? A man can't show up to surprise a long-lost friend with a visit?" Butler remains silent. "Er...I guess it's right down to business then."

"You and Team Magma have no business here." Butler points to the car. "Leave."

"Somehow I knew it was going to go like this...I'm really sorry, old friend..." Richard waves his hands and the door to the house flies open. Two men have Diane contained, ropes tied around her wrists and ankles.

"Butler, what's going on?" She cries.

"Diane!" He lets out a growl as he turns back to Richard. "That's just like you, Richard. Just like Team Magma."

"Well, if we fought fair, we'd all be out of business wouldn't we?" Richard gave a hearty laugh. Butler winced as he heard the man he had once befriended find humor in a situation that was destroying everything he'd fought for. "Now, you'll need to come with us. We've found some old technology that has your name all over it, and we need to make it run again."

Butler growled again, knowing he was in no position to refuse. "Fine, but Diane stays. Alone."

"Done and done." He waved his hand again and the men released Diane. One of them fished a knife out of its holster and cut the ropes restraining her. Richard and Butler walked to the car. Butler paused before entering and turned to Diane.

"I'll be back, I promise. I love you." Before she could protest, he ducked into the car. A few seconds later they were speeding back the way they came with Diane yelling after them. She collapsed to the ground once the car was out of sight and wept. The only thing she could do now was pray that her husband returned.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm not going to lie, I really don't like this as a chapter. As previously stated, if I kept going, it'd be far too long for a single chapter. I hope you guys don't mind too much.

The S.S. Cloud is off and on it's way to Kanto with Tyrel, Gary and Max safely aboard. Ash and friends have arrived in Goldenrod and each one of them is ready for a day of shopping, battling and, of course, eating. We've seen Ash and Mason battle against each other, what would happen if they were to battle side-by-side? And what better place to find out than a newly-erected Battle Tower? All's not well, however, as the pieces of a very sinister puzzle begin to fall into place, turning the tides ever more into Giovanni's favor. Will our heroes discover this evil plot before it's too late? Stay tuned, check in and read to find out!

And as always, please review! It's the only sunshine I get here seeing as it's been overcast for the past week!


	7. The Battle Tower

**A/N: **Hello again, everyone! I'm going to do today's update just a little bit early, since I'll be attending an annual Christmas Eve party later on. Thanks for everyone who reads/reviews/favorites the story! And to Jane Hawthorne, yes, that's basically what it is. I don't plan on this being short by any means, and getting everyone together is going to be an ordeal. I hope it's not moving to slow for anyone! I'm trying to keep it as enjoyable as I can!

Also, for those of you who haven't seen it in my profile, I **am** looking for a beta reader! I had one who was interested, but I haven't heard from him, and that was pretty =[. So if you're a beta reader and at all interested, please let me know! I **reaaalllyy** need an outside opinion on this thing!

Anyway, here you go!

* * *

In Goldenrod, Ash and Mason stopped nearby to check the map and see what sorts of trainer stores were nearby. Ash's face lit up as he saw something only a few blocks away.

"Wow! They built a battle tower!" He laughed in excitement, "Whaddya say Pikachu, should we brush the dust off and show everyone how we made it to the semi-finals in a regional tournament?"

"Which one was that?" Mason asked, startling Ash. Ash had all but forgotten him in his excitement.

"Oh, the Lily of the Valley in Sinnoh!" Ash looked toward the clouds, reminiscing. "One round away from the finals…but we did our best! Right, Pikachu?" Pikachu gives a "Pi" and nods in agreement. He turns back to Mason, "Why don't we head to the battle tower? I bet we'd do great in the double battle line-ups!"

"Sounds like fun, let's go!" The four of them run down the streets, ducking and weaving between passerby's. After turning one last corner, the battle tower is right there in plain sight. The entrance is extremely crowded, but Mason and Ash manage to squeeze their way through into the building and up to the sign-in desk.

"Alright, you sign us up, I'm gonna go call Professor Oak." Ash darted off toward the phone booths.

"Eh-Wait, why?" Mason yelled after him.

"I need my pokemon!" Ash yelled without turning around.

"Welcome to the battle tower!" The woman behind the deck startled Mason, who was still dumbfounded by Ash. "Here you may register to battle other trainers. Which battle-type would you like to enter?"

"Double battle, please."

"You will require a partner. We can match you randomly or you can provide your own, which would you prefer?"

"Oh, I've got one. He's just getting ready."

"Wonderful! Name and hometown, please?" The lady began typing away at the computer in front of her.

"Mason from Saffron City."

"And the name of your partner?"

"Ash from Pallet Town."

"Will you be renting pokemon or providing your own?" The woman nearly cut off the end of Mason's previous sentence. He turned around and noticed quite the line forming behind him and gave an embarrassed chuckle, pretty sure he had just cut in front of more than a few of them.

"Eh, we have our own. Is that all?"

"One moment!" The lady said in a high-pitched tone. She produced two neon-green rectangular passes. "These carry all of your necessary information. Proceed up the escalator in the center of the building and consult the map for further directions. Thank you!" The woman smiled and Mason noticed she seemed unusually happy for having such a busy job.

"Thanks, ma'am." He and Noone walked over to the phone booth as Ash was just finishing his phone call. "So who'd you pick?"

"I had the professor send me Snorlax and Noctowl." He held up his pokeballs and showed Mason before attaching them to his belt. "And, of course, Pikachu."

Mason handed him his pass, "We're supposed to go up the escalator and check the map, I guess."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Ash took off for the escalators with Mason trailing close behind. To his dismay, the escalators were extremely crowded with trainers leisurely riding, and he had to stand and wait until they reached the top.

Practically running in place, Ash bolts off of the escalator as soon as it reaches the top and runs to the map. Mason follows close behind, trying not to let him out of his sight. After a few seconds of checking the map, Ash takes off down a hallway to the left. There are a few trainers ahead of them in line, so they take their spot and begin waiting.

"I can't wait! It'll be great to be battling again, right Pikachu?" Pikachu cries out and hops onto the floor and holds his fist up. "Yeah! That's the spirit!"

Behind him, Mason just chuckles. "You really enjoy pokemon battles, don't you?"

"I'm gonna be the best some day! The greatest pokemon master that ever lived!" Pikachu hops back up on his shoulder and cries out in agreement. "It's been a while since I've done any real battling, aside from yesterday. What better way to warm up?"

Ahead of them, two trainers hand their passes to the men standing in front of the door. They run them through their computers and hand them back, opening the doors for the trainers to step through. "Just a little bit longer…" Ash pulls his pokeballs off of his belt and holds them in front of him. "Get ready guys, I know it's been a while, but I know you won't let me down." He smiles and puts them back on his belt.

A few minutes later Ash and Mason are standing, waiting to be called up. "Trainers, step forward." They do as their told and hold their passes up. The men take them and scan them like the trainers before them. After a few seconds of typing, they hand the passes back and the doors in front of them open. "Good luck to you."

They step through the doors and onto a platform. The doors close behind them and the platform they're standing on begins rapidly ascending. Ash and Mason both look up and watch the floors go by as they get closer and closer to an opening. Light shines through and suddenly their showered in spotlights, standing in a large arena across from their competitors. Surrounding the arena is a giant stadium filled with spectators whooping and cheering.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our next round will now commence." Hearing the announcer, the crowd cheers even louder. "Challengers Ash from Pallet and Mason from Saffron will take on defending champions Lars and Samantha from Olivine. This match will be a 2-on-2 battle with each trainer using only one pokemon. The match will be decided when either team's pokemon are both unfit for battle. Trainers, select your pokemon!"

Across from them, Lars sends out a Charizard and Samantha sends out a Marshtomp. "It seems as though the dynamic duo Charizard and Marshtomp are ready for battle again! These two gave our last trainers a tough time and earned themselves an early victory. Can our challengers handle this tag-team?"

"You ready, Mason?" Ash turned to him and pulled out a pokeball, activating it.

"You bet." Mason does the same and both trainers throw their pokeballs into the air, releasing Snorlax and Poof.

"The challengers have chosen Haunter and Snorlax. Trainers, begin the battle!" The crowd erupts in an almost deafening roar as they all jump to their feet, filled with anticipation.

"Charizard, flamethrower!"

"Marshtomp, water gun!" Almost immediately Lars and Samantha call out their attacks and their pokemon unleash a torrent of water surrounded in flames toward Snorlax.

"Poof, reflect!" Poof waves his hands and creates an invisible barrier in front of Snorlax that absorbs most of the attack. He can't sustain the ability, however, and Snorlax is hit with the remainder of the attack.

"Snorlax, go! Body slam!" With speed uncharacteristic to the large pokemon, Snorlax runs across the battlefield and throws himself into the air toward Marshtomp.

"Marshtomp, watch out!" Samantha yells to warn her pokemon. Marshtomp is frozen in his tracks at the sight of the immense pokemon flying toward it.

"Charizard, endure!" At the last second Charizard throws himself in front of the attack and braces for the impact. Snorlax comes crashing down onto Charizard, sending him back a ways. Charizard remains on his feet, still ready to battle.

"Poof, use night shade!" From back on the other side of the battlefield, Poof shoots a night shade toward the now-weakened charizard.

"Charizard, fly into the air!" The charizard does as Lars commands and takes off into the air.

"Snorlax, double-slap!" As Poof's night shade flies across the battlefield, Snorlax rushes forward toward Marshtomp with a double-slap attack. Marshtomp is still rendered immobile by the sheer size of Snorlax. The attack lands multiple times, knocking Marshtomp to the ground as Poof's night shade lands right next to it, hitting it with debris.

"Now Charizard, take down!" Alone across the battlefield, Snorlax is defenseless as Charizard barrels forward with a take down attack, knocking Snorlax back, causing him to roll back to his side of the field. Meanwhile Samantha is trying to get Marshtomp to stand back up.

"Confusion!" Mason yells to Poof and Poof lets out a powerful confusion attack that engulfs the whole arena. Both Charizard and Marshtomp receive the attack full scale, knocking Charizard down to the ground mid-flight. Unfortunately, Snorlax is also hit by the attack as he's attempting to recover from Charizard's take down and is knocked back to the ground. Every pokemon on the battlefield is knocked out aside from Poof.

"Hey!" Ash yelled, "What's the big idea?"

"Eh, sorry!" Mason waved his hands, "Didn't know that would happen!"

"This is a **double** battle, sometimes attacks-"

"Well, that was certainly unorthodox," The announcer cuts Ash off mid-sentence, "but with only Haunter standing, we have our new champions! Congratulations Ash from Pallet and Mason from Saffron! Please proceed to the waiting room for further instructions! Lars and Samantha, your winning streak has unfortunately come to an end, thank you for participating and we hope to see you again! Please see the front desk to exchange your battle points!"

Mason recalls Poof as Ash recalls Snorlax and they do as instructed. In the waiting room they're greeted by a very enthusiastic man. "Amazing! Stupendular! Wonderful battling! Congratulations! My name is William Dublay, overseer of the double battles, and it's my job to congratulate you personally and inform you of just how things work here. See, having beaten Lars and Samantha, **you two** are our newest champions! You will remain the champions until you are defeated in battle or you resign your position. Each battle you win earns you more and more prestige and, of course, more and more points. These battle points, or BP for short, can be exchanged at the front desk for any number of marvelous items from our selection!"

"Woah, cool! Did you hear that, Pikachu?" Ash turned to Pikachu whose eyes were gleaming with thoughts of all of the prizes they could win.

"Sounds awesome!" Mason's face was lit up with the same thoughts. It was the first time in a very long time that he was excited about battling. He was suddenly reminded of Noone and her dislike of most pokemon battles and turned to her. "You sure you're up for this? We don't have to battle, you know." Noone simply smiled and rubbed against his leg. "That's the spirit! It'll be fun, I promise!"

"After every match, we will pair you against new challengers," William continued, "When you are defeated you will be asked to exit and consult the front desk to exchange your battle points. Battle points reset every day, so be sure to spend them while they're hot!"

A man entered the room and approached William. "We're ready, sir."

"Ah! Great! Absolutely wondiferous!" He turned to the boys again, "Now, before you go, we can take your pokemon from the last match and allow them to rest if you wish, or you may battle with them again."

Ash handed Snorlax's pokeball to William. "Take good care of him!"

"Why not?" Mason handed Poof's ball over. "Be careful with that one, he's pretty playful."

Mason and Ash took the field once more. The crowd roared as they released their pokemon and began battling. Seven and Noctowl make short work of their opponents and earn another victory for the duo. The two of them continue with their streak, battle after battle, defeating each of the challengers, the crowd growing louder and louder each time they prepare to battle again. Six wins later, Ash and Mason find themselves in the waiting room again.

"Yyyyeah!" Ash jumps for joy as they enter the room. "Another one down! Way to go, Pikachu!" Pikachu cries out as Ash twirls him around. Mason and Noone are celebrating by playing a game of tag on the other side of the room. Soon they both take a seat and await their next match. "Undefeated for eight straight rounds! That's go to be a new record or something!"

"Even if it isn't, we're not losing any time soon!" Mason and Ash laughed. William entered the room from a door in the back.

"Absolutely superdious! You boys are on quite a roll! However, we'll be taking a short break as we prepare the new stage for the next hour. You boys are welcome to stay here in the waiting room or wander about the Battle Tower, but I would suggest you stay in the building! The changes will be made shortly and you don't want to be missing and have an automatic forfeit after such a wonderful streak!"

"Don't worry, we'll be ready!" Ash clenched his fist and turned his hat around.

"Um…" Mason looked around for a clock, "Weren't we supposed to meet everyone for lunch?"

"Uh…**Oh yeah! I forgot!**" Ash yelled, pulling his PokeGear out of his pocket and checking the time. "**Waaaah!** We're late! We gotta go! Sorry William! Come on, Pikachu!" Pikachu hopped on Ash's shoulder just before he took off out of the room, Mason following close behind.

"But wait! What about the battle?" William cried after them.

"Really sorry but we have to go! We'll be back later!" Ash yelled back, still running. They all got onto the platform and were back on the second floor before they knew it. With only a slight idea of where to go, Ash only continued running, knowing he was going to hear it from everyone about being late. Mason and Noone could only do their best to keep up, hoping they didn't get lost in the crowd.

* * *

Not too far east of Saffron in the beautiful town of Greenfield, Professor Hale and his daughter Molly are enjoying the day together by baking cookies. A knock is heard at the door and the butler opens it. Standing in the doorway are two hooded men, one wearing red and the other wearing blue.

"May I help you?" The butler asks.

"Where's Professor Hale?" One of the men demands. Before the butler can reply, the professor steps into the doorway, his daughter still in the kitchen.

"Hello gentlemen. How can I help you?" Hale said with a smile, knowing these men weren't there with any good intentions.

"Professor Hale, you once researched the mysteries of the unown, and we'd like to see all of your chronicled discoveries."

"Trust me, boys, those mysteries weren't meant to be understood. The secrets the unown wield is unlike-"

"We didn't ask for a lecture." One of the hooded men interrupts him. "Where is your research kept?"

"It's not. I destroyed it all."

The men snicker. "The boss said you'd say that." They both threw out a pokeball, releasing a crawdaunt and a houndoom. "Now, you have a lovely house here and, from what we understand, a lovely daughter." Professor Hale clenched his teeth. "It would be very unfortunate were anything to happen to either of them. Nobody wants that, do they?"

"Leave Molly out of this! She's been through enough already!"

"Then you will tell us where your research is kept." The pokemon prepared to fire off an attack. "Or there will be consequences."

Professor Hale grunted, but finally gave in, doing everything he could to protect his daughter. "Wait here…" The professor begins walking down the hallway when Molly appears.

"Who is it, daddy?" She asks, still stirring the cookie dough.

"Nobody dear, business men. I'll be back in a second, don't forget to add lots of chocolate chips!" Molly laughs and runs back to the kitchen. A few minutes later Professor Hale reappears in the doorway holding a key. He holds it up and one of the men snatches it.

"There's a warehouse. Just outside the Ruins of Alph near Violet City."

"Thanks for your cooperation, Professor. It's for the best, we promise."

As the men begin to walk away, the professor calls out to them. "If you know what's best for you, you'll find that warehouse and burn it to the ground. There are some things mankind was never meant to discover."

The two men return to their car without acknowledging the professor. He simply watches as they drive off.

"Sir…should we…do something?" The butler asks.

"No. Let's just forget this ever happened." Professor Hale shuts the door and returns to the kitchen to finish enjoying the day with his daughter. His only wish is that whoever those men were, they lack the resources to unlock the secrets he had discovered.

* * *

In the S.S. Cloud's dining hall, a rather suspicious look pair emerges wearing waiters' outfits, the woman pushing a cart. Suddenly the cloth around the cart lifts up and Meowth appears, scanning the area.

"Any sign of da twerps, yet?" He looks to both sides of the room, which is filled with passengers already. Jessie, who is disguised as a waitress, punches him in the head and shoves him back into the cart.

"Quiet, Meowth! You're going to give us away! James, have you seen-James?" She takes a look around and spots James at one of the tables taking orders. She runs up to the table and places the platter with h'ordeuvres that was sitting on the cart in the middle of the table. "Bon Appetit!" She says in a higher-than-usual tone, "Jim, could you kindly follow me? You're wanted in the kitchen!"

"But I haven't finished-" James cuts off halfway through as Meowth digs his claws into his leg. He stifles a yell, "Why of course! Be right back, folks!" Jessie pulls James around a corner and out of sight from everyone else.

"What are you doing? We're supposed to be looking for the twerps, remember?"

"But that doesn't mean we have to be bad waiters…" James looks down and twiddles his thumbs.

"It's not like we're getting paid for this! Just smile and look good for everyone and keep an eye out for the twerps! When they come in, we'll show them to a table and take their order. Meanwhile, Meowth will sneak under the table and steal their pokemon right out from under them!"

"It's fool-proof!" Meowth was poking his head out from under the cart again. Just as Jessie is about to hit him, Wobbufet pops out of his pokeball and cries out, as if agreeing with Meowth. Jessie simply clenches her teeth and recalls Wobbufet into his pokeball while Meowth slides back into the cart.

"Just don't mess up!" Jessie pushes James back out into the dining hall and waits a few seconds before following behind with the cart.

Down below, Tyrel had fallen asleep at his desk while organizing his papers which he was now drooling on. The rocking sensation of the boat was much more soothing than he had anticipated. Further down, Gary had also fallen fast asleep in his room, his umbreon curled up at the foot of the bed sleeping as well.

Max was the only one who had yet to fall asleep. He had, in fact, not even attempted to. He simply sat on his bed, remembering all of the fun he had had on adventures past. More specifically, he was remembering his time spent with Jirachi. The two of them had only spent a week together during the sighting of the millennium comet, but they would be friends forever, just like Ash had said.

It was fun to think of Jirachi, but it hurt at the same time. He was fine with knowing he would probably never see him again, but knowing he was in trouble wasn't something Max could stand thinking about. It would have been better if Max were just crazy and hearing things, but there was no mistaking the voice that called out to him the night before.

Max decides a walk would be great for getting his mind off of things. He leaves his room and finds an empty hallway, the stewardesses gone from their previous posts. He remembers Tyrel's room number from the first stewardess, though he didn't catch which one Gary was staying in. Tyrel said he had some work to get done, though, and probably wouldn't want to be bothered. There was nothing wrong with taking a lonely stroll, though, as long as he avoided anything that looked troublesome or suspicious.

Max follows his hallway back to the stairway that he came down on. Almost immediately he's lost in thought again, remembering Ash, May and Brock all laughing together. He remembers the wonderful food that Brock would prepare for them, and the tense gym and frontier battles Ash had. He remembers his sister as she was when they first started traveling, and how much she had changed by the time they split up.

Lost in his thoughts, Max simply continues walking. He walks down two flights of stairs before the stairs leading down simply stop. He remains in his own world, fantasizing about having his own pokemon and battling trainers across the world. He thinks about everything from his starter pokemon to the different gyms he would challenge.

"Hey kid!" A deep and scratchy voice calls out to him, breaking him out of his trance. He notices that he's nowhere near any of the rooms anymore, and that he's made his way to the engine room. He looks towards the direction of the voice and sees three sailors sitting around a table. "This ain't no place to be playin'!" The other two sailors laughed. "Unless you're lookin' for trouble, that is."

"Eh…" Max gave an uneasy chuckle, "No-nope, just lost. I'll be going now…"

"Hey wait!" The sailor calls out and Max stops, frozen in his tracks, "Just who do you think you are? You interrupted our break time. We don't take kindly to that." Max swallowed hard, not turning around. "What say we settle this like gentlemen, with a pokemon battle?"

Suddenly a boy appears in front of Max wearing green clothes with a pikachu on his shoulder. "That might work if any of you were actually gentlemen!" The pikachu jumped off the boy's shoulder and let out a growl. The boy knelt down in front of Max. "Are you okay?"

"Uh…yeah, I'm fine." Max turned to look at the pikachu, then back to the boy. "You know…you remind me a lot of one of my friends."

"Er…maybe now's not the best time for that. Let's get out of here." The boy and Max started to walk away.

"Hey! I haven't gotten my battle yet!" The sailor called after them. "Or do you want me to tell the captain that we've got a couple of kids down here up to no-good?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" The boy turned around and his pikachu took his place in front of him, ready to fight. "You ready, Sparky?" The pikachu cries out in agreement.

The sailor chuckles, "This'll be fun…Go Machoke!" The sailor throws a pokeball and a machoke appears, posing as it normally does. "Machoke, submission!" The machoke charges forward and lunges at Sparky.

"Sparky, agility!" Sparky suddenly starts jumping all around the room with incredible speed, causing the machoke to miss and slam into the ground. "Now, quick attack!" Sparky appears behind the machoke and slams into it, knocking back to the ground as it attempts to get back up.

"Cross chop Machoke!" The machoke turns around with his arms crossed and lunges at Sparky, who quickly jumps out of the way.

"Now Sparky, volt tackle!" Sparky charges up with electricity and slams into the machoke, knocking him back toward the sailor and knocking him out in the process. The sailor scowls at the boy as his two coworkers simply look on in astonishment. "Thanks for the battle, but we'll be going now."

The sailor recalls his machoke and continues scowling as the boys head back up the stairs. "So what were you doing down there, anyway?" The boy asks.

"I didn't realize where I was. I was a little distracted…" Max starts thinking again about being a pokemon trainer, but snaps out of it before he gets lost in one of his trances again. "Thanks so much for helping me out. What were you guys doing down there?"

"Us? Oh, Sparky loves to visit the engine room and see how everything works." Sparky gave a big "Pika!" and a smile to Max. "We go down there whenever we ride on the ferry. Come on, let's get you back to your room."

* * *

**A/N: **Hooray! Another old friend is back! I hope I'm keeping it interesting enough for everyone. At first I had planned on adding a bit more mystery to Ritchie's re-appearance, but couldn't really think of a way to do it. =[

Ash and Mason were dominating the Battle Tower, that is until they remembered they had a lunch appointment with the rest of the group and took off in a rushy. Professor Hale's past has come back to haunt him and he can only hope that his research is far too advanced for Team Aqua and Team Magma. Team Rocket's plans are in place as they await Max, Gary and Tyrel to enter the dining hall for lunch. What they didn't foresee is the return of the one and only Ritchie, who stepped in just in time to rescue Max from a disgruntled sailor. Will this deter Team Rocket's plans at all, or will they actually get away with the pokemon this time? And what was so important that Mason and Ash had to leave their winning streak to meet the group for lunch? Elsewhere, a peaceful town will be forever ruined by the actions of two men. Old research, old technology, old scientists: What could Giovanni possibly be planning with all of these things? There's only one way to find out! Stay tuned!

P.S. Happy Holidays. =] Stay safe!


	8. Prepare for Trouble!

**A/N: **Hey guys! Sorry for not updating yesterday. I had honestly planned to, but my internet was bugging out on me. Here's the daily upload!

And again, I'm still looking for a Beta Reader! Give me a shout if you're interested!

**

* * *

**The ferry rocks slightly to the left as a wave collides with the side of it. Most of the passengers barely notice it. Tyrel, however, was already leaning heavily to one side as he slept in his chair, and the slight motion of the ferry was just enough to tip him over. He crashes to the ground with a thud and jumps right back up, examining the room for the culprit before remembering where he is.

"Ohh…my head…" Tyrel shakes it off and looks on the desk where his work is and sees that he's drooled on some of it. "Blegh…gross…" He gets some paper towels from the kitchen area and begins wiping the desk off. "Oh no!" He stands straight up and checks his watch, remembering he was supposed to meet the others in the dining hall. He sighs in relief when his watch tells him he's got about ten minutes to go.

After cleaning off his papers and storing them back in his pack, he decides to go look for Max. He leaves his room and makes his way downstairs. To his surprise he sees Max towards the end of one of the hallways walking with a boy and his pikachu. They turn off and enter what he assumes to be Max's room. He walks down to investigate.

In Max's room, Max and his new friend are standing in the doorway. "Wow, this is a pretty big room!" The boy walks around, admiring all of the amenities. "How'd you pay for a room like this?"

"Oh I didn't. I ran into someone who was also heading to Kanto and we came here together. It just so happened he had an extra ticket and he was nice enough to give it to me."

"Well it's good to know there's someone nice on the ship." The boy chuckled and smiled toward Max. "I'm Ritchie, and this is Sparky."

"I'm Max! Nice to meet you Ritchie and Sparky!" Max shook Ritchie's hand and patted Sparky on the head. "My friend Ash has a pikachu too! He doesn't like staying in a pokeball either!" Max laughed.

"Ash?" Ritchie asked, "You wouldn't mean Ash Ketchum by any chance, would you?"

"Yeah! From Pallet Town!" Max's eyes widened, amazed at how many people Ash knew. "Wow! You know him too?"

"Oh yeah! I battled him in the Indigo Plateau! We also helped save a lugia and her baby from Team Rocket!"

"No way!" Max was about to burst with excitement, "**You've** seen a lugia? That's **so** cool! And Ash too? He never told me about that!"

Ritchie laughed, "How do you know him?"

"My sister and I were with him all throughout his journey through Hoenn. My sister was going to be a trainer, but ended up becoming a coordinator. Ash helped her out a lot with learning everything about pokemon. I was the navigator." Max held up his PokeNav proudly, "And it still works too!"

"Cool! I was actually just on my way back to Kanto to see him. His mom somehow got a hold of me through an old PokeGear I still carry around and said his birthday was coming up. I couldn't make it on time, but I figured better late than never. Besides, it'll be nice to see Professor Oak and everyone else again."

"That's where I was headed too!" Max laughed aloud, "Gary Oak's onboard too, we're both going! He's Ash's friend too!"

"Alright! It'll be one big late birthday surprise for him!" Ritchie smiled and gave Max a high-five.

The door opened and Tryel came in and saw the two. Max ran up to him, his face beaming. "Hey Tyrel! This is Ritchie, and he knows Ash too! He was going back to see him for his birthday just like me and Gary!"

"Hello Ritchie, nice to meet you." He nodded toward Ritchie who nodded back. He smiled at Max. "I guess this 'Ash' must be quite the character if he has so many people traveling so far to see him."

"He's an awesome trainer! And he's good friends with Professor Oak too!" Max was still bursting with excitement over the chance meeting.

"Wow, **the **Professor Oak? I've always wanted to meet him…" Tyrel trailed off, knowing exactly what Max was going to say next.

"Why don't you come with us? You can meet him and Ash and May and everyone else!" Tyrel laughed, having seen the question coming from a mile away. He hadn't actually considered the possibility a moment ago, but took a moment to think about it. It **would** be great to discuss his findings with the greatest Pokemon Professor in the world, or even just to meet him and introduce himself.

"I guess I can take a little side trip. Why not?" Tyrel smiled, then took a step back, prepared for what was sure to come next.

"**Yeah!**" Max yells at the top of his lungs, "This is the coolest day ever!" Tyrel and Ritchie laughed as Max continued to celebrate.

Tyrel looks at his watch. "Woah, almost time to go. You ready, Max?"

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Max checked his PokeNav, "Wow! Better hurry, Gary's probably already there waiting for us." He turned to Ritchie, "Hey, why don't you come with us? We're all going to the dining hall for lunch and to watch the show."

"Sounds like fun. Count me in!" Ritchie gave a thumbs-up and Sparky gave a peace sign. The boys left the room and locked it behind them. The weather was starting to clear up and just for a moment, things seemed alright again.

* * *

Ash and Mason are running down the street as fast as they can, clearing a path between people as they go. "Hurry up, Mason! We were supposed to be there half an hour ago!"

Mason gasped as he ran, "This is worse than chasing Poof around!" He said to Noone, "You'd think we'd be used to it by now!" They were turning corners at break-neck speeds, nearly skidding into the street every time.

At the Burger Shop, Misty sighed. "Did anyone expect anything less from him?" Everyone but Brock giggled. He was still trying to sort through all of the stuff May had had him carry. She had called him on his PokeGear not long after they split up saying she needed a hand carrying a few things. He ended up following her around as she piled bag after bag onto him.

Soon Ash and Mason came zooming by the window and bursting through the doors. They looked around for a second before spotting the group and running over to their table.

They pulled up some chairs (avoiding Brock and all of his bags) and caught their breath. Azurill excitedly hopped onto the table and jumped into Mason's arms once again. Mason teased him for a second by pretending not to notice, causing Azurill to tear up. He laughed and gave him what he wanted, a few tugs on his ears as he wiggled his feet in excitement. Mason set Azurill back on the table and he ran back to Misty with a smile on his face.

"Sorry we're late, we were on a roll in the battle tower. Eight matches in a row undefeated!" Ash bragged while Pikachu held up a peace sign and cried out.

"Wow, that's quite the achievement." Brock had finished with his bags and was facing the group again. "You guys must have racked up quite a few battle points."

"Aw…We forgot to spend our points!" Ash slumped down in his chair.

"Don't worry, we can head back there after lunch," Mason said and smiled, "He said they don't reset until the end of the day, remember?"

"Yeah!" Ash perked back up, "Speaking of lunch, where is it? I'm starving!" As if to answer his wishes, a man appeared from around a corner carrying a rather large platter of burgers and set it in the middle of the group. "Alright!" Without a second thought, Ash begins tearing into two burgers at once, one in each hand. Everyone else joined in until the platter in front of them was completely empty.

"Blegh…I'm stuffed!" Dawn was slouching back in her seat with a content look on her face.

"So Brock, what's the big deal about lunch anyway?" Misty seized the opportunity to ask while she wiped her face with a napkin, "Why'd we all have to meet up for it? We're more than capable of finding our way to a burger stand somewhere."

"Hey…she's right!" Ash seemed to be the last one to catch on, "And we had to forfeit our spot as champions to come down here!"

"Don't worry," Brock reassured them, "I just figured that it would be a lot easier to explain everything to everyone away from all of that hustle and bustle by the station. Not to mention on a full stomach." Everyone laughed. Brock pulled his map back out and laid it on the center of the table over the platter. "Okay, here," Brock pointed to a rather large looking square on the map, "is where we'll be staying for the night. Ash's mom reserved two suites, one for the boys and one for the girls."

The girls' faces all lit up at the same time. "Wow! Mrs. Ketchum is the nicest woman in the world!" Dawn said.

"I can't believe it!" Misty added, "How did she afford something like that?"

Confused, Ash took another look at the spot on the map that Brock had pointed to. Again, he saw nothing more than a larger-than-normal square amongst other squares. "I dunno…looks kinda boring to me."

Everyone stopped and stared at Ash. "You're…kidding, right?" Brock asked, fearing the worst.

"Hold on, guys. Let me try to explain it…" Mason said, also filled with excitement at the thought of where they would be staying. "Ash, do you see the name of the hotel?"

Ash leaned in closer and now saw the tiny black text on the square Brock had pointed to. After a second he laughed excitedly. "The Yamada? I've heard all about that place on T.V.!" Everyone else sighed in relief.

"Five star rooms, gourmet room service, and they even hold special events in their enormous ballroom!" Misty began daydreaming, "Lounging all day in a silk robe with three waiters at your beck and call…" Soon everyone was lost in the same daydream, all of them sighing with relaxed looks on their faces.

"Er-Yes" Brock snapped out of it, "it's going to be great, but that's not all!" Everyone else joined him back in the world of reality as he produced six slips of paper and held them in front of everyone. "She also took the liberty of buying us each a ticket to the annual 'Starter Kickoff Dance' tonight that celebrates young trainers beginning their adventures."

"Amazing!" Dawn's face was still beaming, "Your mom really knows what she's doing, Ash!" Everyone reached forward and took their ticket.

"Awesome! There's always tons of really good food at those things!" Ash said, "And maybe even some trainers who'll want to battle!"

"No battling tonight, Ash." Brock informed him, "Strict rules of the dance. And speaking of rules, the dress attire is formal, and of course they encourage everyone to look their best! So while you're out shopping today, be sure to pick out something nice to wear tonight!"

"But what about the battle tower? We were doing so good!" Ash lamented the idea of shopping for clothes, especially over battling.

"You bring another wonderful point, Ash." Brock says, ignoring his pleas, "This is **not** something you want to be late for, unlike lunch today. The doors for admission close only five minutes after the dance starts, so we'll be using the buddy system. Everyone will pair up and keep tabs on time no matter what or there'll be no dance for the both of you!"

"That's just fine, me and Mason were doing awesome in the battle tower anyway, right?" Ash looked toward Mason.

Before Mason could reply, Misty spoke up: "Not so fast, Ash Ketchum. You still need to find something to wear tonight and I **know** you won't do that if left to your own free will. Don't worry Brock, I'll have Ash back on time." She gave him a wink.

"Come on! I'm supposed to be enjoying my time here however I want to!"

"Then you'll just have to enjoy our little **alone** time together!" Misty said in a high tone before thinking.

"Huh?" Ash yelled, not sure he had just heard Misty correctly. Everyone turned away and stifled their giggles and chuckles as Misty turned bright red.

Misty gave an embarrassed chuckle, "Eh-well-what I meant was-" She looked around frantically for something to change the subject to. "Er-What about Mason? He doesn't have a PokeGear still and probably doesn't have anything to wear to the dance."

To Misty's relief, Brock picked up the new conversational direction and ran with it. "Hey, she's right. May could probably help him with that, and it'd also be nice to take a break from carrying all of those bags around. As long as you don't mind, Mason, why don't you go with May and I'll go with Dawn?"

"Yeah!" May and Mason both burst out at the same time before covering their mouths. Misty, Ash and Dawn turned and gave a confused look while Brock just smirked.

"I mean, good idea." Mason laughed, "I've never been one for shopping, anyway and it'd be nice to have the help of an expert." Everyone around the table laughed. Underneath the table sitting next to Mason, Noone stood up gave his leg a hard nudge. He peeked under the table at her and saw the big smile on her face. "Quiet, you," he said to her and tossed her what remainded of his last burger.

"Alright, it's settled then," Brock said as he folded up the map in the middle of the table. "Now we've got plenty of time before the dance, but remember, **don't** be late. Check the clock periodically and set an alarm if you have to, but we can't miss this one guys."

Everyone gave a thumbs up as they prepared to leave. Before they split up, Mason pulled his battle tower pass out of his pocket and handed it to Ash. "Here, I don't think I'll be making it that way again so go ahead and use my points up."

"Really?" Ash took the pass from Mason, "We both worked for these, you deserve a reward."

"It was plenty of a reward just to be battling again, and alongside such a great trainer too!" Mason laughed.

"We were a great team!" Ash held up his hand, "We'll have to do it again sometime!"

"Count me in!" Mason said and grasped Ash's hand.

"Come on, guys, let's go!" Mason and Ash looked around and noticed that Brock and Dawn had already left and Misty and May were waiting on them. "Alright, see you guys at the dance!" Ash yelled behind him as he ran.

* * *

Far south of Azalea Town, over the seas, lies the city of Alto Mare. This city is known for its streets, which happen to be made out of the very ocean the city sits on top of. Also known throughout the island is the legend of Latios and Latias, the protectors of Alto Mare. Twice in history has a Latios given his life in order to save the city from certain destruction, creating a Soul Dew in the process. The Soul Dew is a gem of mysterious power that lies in a Secret Garden, sustaining the life and soul of the island.

The Soul Dew also powers a magnificent and powerful device called the Defense Mechanism of Alto Mare, a machine created to control and protect the city after the first Latios perished. Our heroes once stopped this device from being used to take control of the city and unleashing powerful extinct pokemon upon the world.

The island has lain undisturbed for some time now, the citizens having resumed their normal day-to-day business. Little do they know there are traitors in their midst. A pair of "tourists" that have been in town for the past couple of weeks now enacts a plan that will doom the island.

"Is everything ready?" A man in a colorful t-shirt and sunglasses speaks into a concealed microphone.

"Affirmative." Hiding in the shadows nearby is the man's partner, prepared to make his move. The man in the colorful t-shirt begins walking past a very narrow alleyway.

He points into the air and yells, "Look, it's Latias! Look everyone!" Everyone passing on the sidewalks crowds around, looking into the air. Once the alleyway is blocked off by the commotion, the man in the shadows runs forward directly into the wall in front of him. As was expected, the wall is only an illusion and he finds himself in a lush, green environment. He darts forward with incredible speed, jumping onto a nearby fountain. He reaches his hand in and snatches the Soul Dew.

Back on the street, everyone is still looking intently into the sky, waiting for the legendary pokemon to appear. "Where, I don't see it?" The crowd looks around for the man in the sunglasses, but he's nowhere to be found.

Around a few corners, the man takes off his t-shirt and reveals a black shirt underneath with a red "R" plastered onto it. He jumps into a speedboat already in motion as it passes by.

"Did you get it?" He asks his partner.

"Of course I got it. I wouldn't dare leave if I didn't, not if what Giovanni has planned actually works." He chuckles. "Did you get the blueprints?"

"Right here:" The t-shirt man holds up an old, dusty roll of paper. "Let's get out of here, things are about to get ugly."

"10-4." The driver pushes the throttle all the way down and they take off back toward the Jotho mainland.

* * *

Somewhere in the oceans between Hoenn and Kanto, the S.S. Cloud sails through smooth seas and sunny skies. Gary Oak sits in the dining hall awaiting Tyrel and Max. After a few minutes he sees them come through the door with another boy and his pikachu. Gary is suddenly reminded of Ash and his pikachu from the striking resemblance he and this boy share.

Tyrel, Max and Ritchie make their way over to the table after spotting Gary and take their seats. Max takes the initiative and makes the introductions, "Hey Gary! This is Ritchie, he battled Ash in the Indigo Plateau and helped him save a lugia and her baby! He was on his way to Kanto to see him for his birthday, too!"

Gary chuckled as he shook Ritchie's hand. "I was just thinking of how much you reminded me of Ash. Nice to meet you, Ritchie, I'm Gary Oak."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who missed Ash's party." They shared a laugh. Soon the show started, a story about a forbidden love between two pokemon, voiced over by actors off-screen. As it started, Gary waved down one of the waiters.

"We'd like to order now, if that's alright."

"Oh of course!" The waiter said, pulling up a cart. He took the platter off of the cart and placed it on the table. "Appetizers on the house! Now, what can I get you?" As he spoke, Meowth crawled out from under the cart and snuck under the table, getting his device ready.

"I think I'll have-" Tyrel started to say, but Max cut him off.

"Hey…" Max was staring intently at their waiter, "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

James, their disguised waiter, began sweating nervously. "Er, I don't believe so, though I do hear that a lot! Let me tell you, funny story-" He's interrupted by the applause of the audience as the blaziken on stage has finally confessed his love to Gardevoir, even though they can never be together. Meowth seizes the opportunity and powers on his suction device, pulling the pokeballs right off of the groups belts. He shuts the machine off before the applause ends and nobody hears a thing.

"Aw, how lovely!" James tries to remain calm. "Anyway, back to your orders."

"Oh, right. I'll take-" Tyrel is interrupted once again as a waitress steps in between him and James.

"So sorry to interrupt but Jim is very popular amongst his tables and his attention is required elsewhere." The red-headed waitress smiled, "We'll send someone over to assist you momentarily! Thank you for your patience!"

Tyrel, Max, Gary and Ritchie just stared as the two of them wheeled away the cart the first waiter had brought over. Ritchie spoke up, "Man. Those two were kind of weird…" Suddenly Sparky's ears perked up and he jumped off of Ritchie's shoulder and looked at Ritchie's belt. He began shouting and pointing and Ritchie looked to where he was pointing and gasped. "My pokemon! Their gone!"

The rest of the table checked to find their pokeballs missing as well. "I **knew** there was something fishy about him! Those weren't waiters, that was Team Rocket!"

"The one and only!" At the back of the room near one of the exits, Team Rocket had taken their disguises off and were standing in their usual pose. "Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth finishes the motto in his usual way and the three of them stand there in silence for a moment. Suddenly they all turned and faced each other with tears in their eyes.

"That felt so good!" Jessie cried.

"Yeah, it's been too long!" Meowth wiped the tears from his eyes.

"If only the twerp and his pikachu were here to hear us…" James said.

"Enough! Let's go! Meowth, finish up here!" Jessie ordered.

"Sorry to interrupt your meals, folks, but we'll be takin' the stars of the show with us!" Meowth turned his suction device back on and pulled Blaziken and Gardevoir off of the stage and into a cage outside on the deck. Jessie and James had already gotten the speedboat ready and were loading the cage in.

"Stop right there!" Ritchie yelled. He and Gary took off toward the door. Team Rocket had already jumped into their speedboat and were about to take off.

"So long, twerps!" Jessie yelled back as Meowth accelerated.

"Sparky, thunderbolt!"

"Umbreon, hidden power!" The two of them unleashed their attacks. Umbreon's hidden power attack stopped the boat dead in the water as Sparky's thunderbolt electrocuted Team Rocket and overloaded the systems onboard.

After the attacks end, Team Rocket lays fried on the floor of the boat. "We really gotta wait until da fat lady sings, from now on," Meowth whines.

"Well, at least we'll get to say it one more time!" James cries happily just before the boat explodes, sending the cage and the stolen pokeballs back to the ferry and Team Rocket flying through the air.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The three of them yell as they shrink into the distance. The audience begins applauding the four of them for their amazing acting and pokemon battling skills.

"What a plot twist!" One of the passengers yells.

"Never saw it coming! Amazing!"

"And it looks like Blaziken and Gardevoir can be together after all!"

The four boys simply smile and wave at everyone through the doorway. "Well, at least now we won't have to explain ourselves!" Max says. The other three laugh as they continue to wave to the crowd.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm probably going to update two chapters today. There just wasn't enough in this chapter. =[

Ritchie's introduced himself to Max who, after learning a bit about his past, was very excited to meet yet another friend of Ash's. Tyrel's agreed to go with them to meet Ash and Professor Oak, making one big late birthday surprise for Ash! Speaking of Ash, he and Mason made their way to the meeting spot for lunch (late, of course) where Brock informed everyone of the wonderful news: Not only will they be staying in what is possibly the most luxurious hotel in the world, they'll be attending the annual Starter Kickoff dance! With this news in mind, they all pair up and head out, looking for something to wear. Meanwhile on the S.S. Cloud, Max, Tyrel, Ritchie and Gary have a run-in with none other than our favorite trio of pokemon thieves: Team Rocket. With minimal effort, the three are sent blasting off and the boys have saved the day. Little do they know that the captain witnessed the entire event, and has a special treat in store for them. How's Ash going to handle shopping for clothes? And why is the S.S. Cloud suddenly picking up speed? As always, keep checking in to find out!

And Review! Pleeeasssee! It'd be the perfect Christmas gift 3


	9. Slight Turbulence

**A/N:** Hello again for those of you reading! Like I said at the end of the last chapter, I'm going to do two updates today. Here's the second!

* * *

After Team Rocket has been blasted off, the show and lunch continue as planned with the boys actually being waited on and enjoying some gourmet food.

"That was delicious!" Max says as he finishes his last bite.

"Yeah, really good stuff!" Ritchie says. The four of them continue watching the show until a man approaches their table.

"Hello!" The man says.

"Uh…hi." Max replies.

"I just wanted to come by and thank you all for your efforts in saving our actors' pokemon earlier! It was truly brave of you!" The man smiled and held out his hand for Gary.

"Oh, it was no problem." Gary shook the man's hand, "They were actually making off with our pokemon as well." He paused for a second. "Did you say 'our actors?'"

"Ah yes, how rude of me. I apologize. I am the caption of the S.S. Cloud." The boys all gasped in awe.

"Nice to meet you!" Max jumped up in front of the captain, "My name's Max, and I just wanted to say that you've got a really neat ship here!" Tyrel stood up and pulled Max back a little.

"Yes, he does," he said, "now how about being polite and not crowding him?"

The captain chuckled, "Oh he's fine. He reminds me of my own son in many ways, too." He looked down to Max, "You really think it's a cool ship?"

"Of course sir! I even got to see the engine room!" He paused, "Well, a little of it."

"Sounds exciting!" The captain said and chuckled, "How would you like to see the helm and see how everything's run?"

Max's face lit up even more, "That would be awesome!" The captain laughed.

"You're all welcome to join us, as well. It'll be my way of saying 'thank you' for your services earlier. What do you say?"

"Absolutely!" Ritchie said.

"Sounds interesting, I've always wanted to see how these things run. Count me in." Gary said.

"Sure, I've already gotten everything organized and could use a little entertainment." Tyrel checked his watch, "Plus we've got some time to kill. Going to be a long ride."

"That it is!" The captain laughed. "Alright then. Why don't you guys follow me?" Everyone nodded in agreement and got up from the table. The captain led them back out the exit Team Rocket used to the deck. The deck, which was now open to passengers, featured a pool and a lot of chairs for lounging. The group rounded a corner and took a flight of stairs up to the control room.

"This is it!" The captain said as he opened a door and let the boys in. There were a few men in the front sitting in front of computer monitors and a man standing in the back behind the wheel. There were switches, buttons and lights almost everywhere they looked. "What do you think?"

The boys simply stared in awe for a moment. The man behind the wheel approached the captain and saluted him, standing at attention. "Welcome back, sir. No troubles to report, smooth sailing as usual."

The captain saluted back, "Thanks sailor, at ease. You are relieved of duty."

The man relaxed, "Thank you, captain." He slipped past the boys and left the room.

"Who was that?" Max asked.

"That was the first mate, the man **you** are going to relieve!" The captain smiled.

"Cool! So uh…how do I do that?" Max wasn't sure what the captain was talking about. Everybody chuckled and the captain walked Max over to the wheel.

"You, sir, are going to be piloting the ship!" The captain presented the wheel to Max. "It's all yours!"

"**Woah**!" Max jumped forward and took the wheel, though he was a bit too short to see over the console in front of him. The captain whistled and a man ran over with a chair. Max climbed up and took control of the wheel again. "This is **amazing**!"

"I'll give Captain Max here a few pointers," the captain said, causing Max to beam with pride, "why don't you three check out the rest of the helm? It's really quite interesting how everything's run."

"Aye aye, Captain!" The three of them said in unison. They all walked around, examining the intricate layers of levers and switches.

Tyrel walked behind one of the men in front of the computers, which had an image of what looked like a geographical map. There was a yellow blip that blinked occasionally. "What's that?" Tyrel asked the man.

"That's us on the map." The man took the headphones off that he was wearing. "We're kept on course by a global positioning system that tracks us by satellite." Next to him was another screen with a bunch of circles within each other. A line was constantly making a loop around those circles.

"And that's the radar, I take it?" Tyrel guessed.

"That's right," the man said, "It sends out signals that keep going until they hit something. If whatever they hit is close enough, the signal bounces back strong enough for our machines to pick it up. Otherwise it'll read empty and the waters are clear." Tyrel watched the two screens, fascinated.

Meanwhile Ritchie and Gary were messing with some of the tools the other men were using under their supervision. The captain was showing Max how to keep an eye out for anything while still keeping control over the wheel. After a little bit of practice, he hit a few buttons on the console in front of the wheel and took his hat off, giving it to Max. Max laughed and put it on, pulling it back so it didn't cover his eyes.

"Auto-pilot's off, now, Captain. You're in charge."

"Wow…" Max looked forward out the windows in front of him. "Alright men, full speed ahead!" He yelled.

"Aye aye, cap'n."

"Aye aye, sir. All ahead full." The men responded, even though the ship was already at full throttle.

The captain laughed. "You're a natural!" He looked around the room and smiled at seeing everyone enjoying themselves. He grabbed a cup of coffee and pulled up a chair next to Max, enjoying himself just as much as Max. The other three continued exploring the intricacies of the room, still fascinated at everything involved in keeping the ship moving and on course.

A few minutes later, one of the men called out: "Captain, we're picking up speed." The captain stood up and walked over, examining the screen.

"Any currents in the area?"

"No sir, none on record."

"Hmm…" The captain began checking all of the screens and gauges. Tyrel, Ritchie and Gary stepped back, giving him plenty of room. Max began to get worried.

"Uh sir…should I…what should I do?" Max asked, loosening his grip on the wheel.

"Just sit tight, Max. No need to worry just yet." The captain continued making his rounds through the room. He looked out the window in front of him for a second. He grabbed a pair of binoculars and took a closer look. "Oh no…"

"What, what is it?" Max asked, letting go of the wheel completely. "Did I break something?"

"No, but you'll need to excuse me." The captain returned to the wheel as Max jumped down away from it. "You did marvelously son, but there's trouble ahead. Everyone take a seat and buckle in." He took a microphone from the console in front of the wheel, held in the button and spoke: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. Please evacuate the deck and the dining hall and return to your rooms immediately in a calm and organized manner. We'll be experiencing some turbulence and we request that you remain in your rooms until further notice."

The boys simply looked forward out the window, trying to figure out why the captain was distressed. The boat began turning right at an alarming rate, almost causing all of them to lose their balance. Tyrel took off out the door and down the stairs, running past the pool toward the bow of the ship. Soon after Ritchie and Gary followed him while Max stayed with the captain.

Tyrel reached the bow of the ship and looked out. His face turned dark as he saw what they were heading for. Directly in their path was a massive whirlpool in the middle of the ocean. The captain's new course was leading them to the outer ring, but Tyrel knew it was inevitable that they would be sucked in. Ritchie and Gary followed soon after and saw the same thing.

"What's that?" Gary cried.

"It's a whirlpool," Ritchie answered, "but why is there a whirlpool here in the middle of nowhere?"

"It's too late to ask questions, we've got to do something." Tyrel looked around the deck which was now empty, trying to find any kind of solution. Suddenly, as he got an idea, he ran back up to the helm and up to the captain.

"Captain, can we avoid it?" Tyrel asked in a rushed tone.

"I don't think so, son." The captain's face was stern, almost emotionless.

"Well if we offset the weight enough on the right side-I mean, the starboard side-can we use the propulsion from the whirlpool to slingshot us out the other side?"

The captain took a quick moment and thought through the idea. "It's possible, but we'd need nearly an entire ton of weight to keep us from tipping from the sheer speed and the pull of the water. Not to mention we're already at full throttle."

"We have to try!" Tyrel turned back to Gary and Ritchie. "Both of you, follow me!" He led them back out onto the deck and to the starboard side of the ship. "Go, Metagross!" Tyrel threw his pokeball into the air and released Metagross who came out of his pokeball with his legs folded, hovering in the air. "We'll need to use our pokemon to offset the ship. Metagross will almost do it but he won't be enough by himself."

"I've got Cruise, a tyranitar." Ritchie said, "That should do it, right?" Tyrel nodded.

"Hopefully…but we'll have to set them both down at the right time." Tyrel looked down, thinking through how it might work out.

"Go, Blastoise!" Gary threw a pokeball out and released his blastoise. "We'll head to the back of the ship and do everything we can to give the ship an extra boost."

"Perfect." Tyrel held his hand up and Gary grasped it. "Good luck."

"You too." Gary and Blastoise took off for the stern of the ship. Up in the helm, Max was seated and buckled, watching out the window. The captain was frantically shouting orders and men were running all around.

"Sir, 30 seconds to breach!" One of the men yelled.

"Copy. Everyone, brace yourself." The crew all planted their feet and grabbed hold of the nearest planted object.

Out on the deck Ritchie and Tyrel prepared to offset the weight. "Ready, Metagross?" Metagross hummed.

"Get ready Cruise…" Ritchie held the pokeball in his hand, prepared to release Cruise. For what seemed like minutes, the ship simply kept accelerating faster and faster as the roar of the whirlpool got louder and louder. Finally, the nose dipped into the whirlpool and sent the ship forward at amazing speeds.

"Now, Metagross!"

"Go, Cruise!" Metagross unfolded his legs and slammed down onto the ship, crushing a few of the boards underneath him. Cruise appeared next to him and braced himself against the side of the ship.

Back at the stern, Gary had Blastoise used hydro pump into the water, propelling the ship even more. In the helm the captain held tight to the wheel as it pulled hard to the port side. Max watched intently as everyone frantically flipped switches and moved levers, doing everything the captain yelled almost before he yelled it. "Hold fast, men! We can make it!"

Tyrel and Ritchie were holding onto the railing of the ship as it shot through the waters, the spinning waters around the ship splashing over the sides. "Hold on, Cruise!" Cruise roared and tensed even more.

At the back of the ship, Gary watched what Ritchie and Tyrel couldn't see, witnessing the immense size of the whirlpool as they circled around it.

"Grraaah! It's not enough!" The captain shouted, "We're being pulled in!" As if he had heard the captain's cries, Blastoise opened his mouth and let loose a water gun attack as well. The ship began gaining speed and climbing back out of the torrent.

"That's it! Just a little more!" The captain was grunting as he continued to fight the wheel for control. Seeing his struggle, Max unclipped his belt and ran up to the opposite side of the wheel and jumped up, grabbing one of the pegs and throwing his entire weight into pulling it. It was just enough as the wheel began turning toward him and the nose of the ship barely grasped the edge of the whirlpool, sending them flying out.

"Don't give up now, Blastoise, give it everything you've got!" Blastoise sent out another burst of water from his water gun and hydro pump as the ship began gaining distance from the whirlpool. A few moments later the captain relaxed his grip on the wheel and sighed in relief.

Blastoise ended his attacks and Gary recalled him. "Job well done, pal. You've earned some rest."

Tyrel and Ritchie walked to the edge of the ship and looked behind them at the whirlpool. After a moment they shouted in joy, jumping up and giving each other a high-five. Metagross and Tyranitar were recalled and everyone ran into the helm to celebrate.

"Excellent work, gentlemen!" The captain saluted the boys who saluted back. "Never in my years as a sailor have I seen such fine sailing or quick thinking. Truly remarkable! Well done!" He turned and knelt in front of Max. "And I have to thank you too, Captain Max. Without your help we might not have made it through that! It's thanks to you that everyone is safe and sound!"

Max smiled, "It was no trouble, really!" He laughed and gave a thumbs up. "Just doing my part!"

The captain smiled and stood back up. He grabbed the wheel and then the microphone, making another announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to inform you that the trouble has passed. We were unfortunate enough to encounter a rather large rogue whirlpool, however with the help of a few brave passengers and our guest captain Max, we made it through safe and sound." Max giggled at hearing his name with the word "captain." "We'll be re-plotting our course for Kanto and should be back on track within the hour. For the time being we'd like you to remain in your rooms unless you've sustained an injury, in which case please make your way to the nurse's office located on the second floor."

"Captain…" Tyrel spoke up as the captain put the microphone back down, "why was that whirlpool there in the first place?" Everyone turned to listen to the captain's answer.

"To be honest, I have no idea," the captain said plainly, "Every now and again ships run into random waves or whirlpools in the middle of the ocean that nobody can explain. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's some of the pokemon." He turned and faced the window, his face growing serious. "I can say that I've never heard of one nearly as large as the one we just encountered. I'll be contacting the mainland and informing them of our situation, maybe they'll have more information." He turned back to the boys. "For now, you can relax knowing you've done this ship a huge favor. Saved it, even. You're all welcome to anything you want, Captain's treat. And of course you're welcome back here at any time, although for now it would make me most comfortable if you all returned to your rooms and took a rest from your hard work while we reset our course."

"Of course! No problem!" Ritchie held his hand out for the captain. "Thanks for everything!"

The captain shook Ritchie's hand. "Thank you boys, now if you'll excuse me." The boys all left the helm and walked back toward their rooms. Gary, Tyrel and Ritchie smiled and laughed as Max retold his story of how he helped the captain and saved the ship. Soon they all split up and went to their rooms, each one feeling overjoyed and slightly prideful at their accomplishments. The captain radioed the mainland and soon they would be back on track; Destination: Kanto.

* * *

**A/N:** Probably my longest single chapter, and now things are starting to get interesting!

Our heroes aboard the S.S. Cloud have helped the captain to avoid disaster as the ship was sent speeding through a whirlpool! With the dangers far behind them, the boys have returned to their rooms and the captain has begun replotting his course for Kanto. How's the day going in Johto where Ash and friends were supposed to be getting ready for a dance? What's that? **Another **whirlpool? And **cyclones?** What's going on? Ahem...sorry, got a little carried away. Stay tuned!

And please review! I'll dance for you if you do, I promise!


	10. The Dance

**A/N:** Welcome (back)! As per usual, here's the daily upload!

Unfortunately, I'll be losing interwebz tomorrow for I don't know how long. I'll continue writing, of course, but I don't know when my next update will be. Sorry for any inconvenience. =[

* * *

The day has been pretty eventful for our heroes back in Goldenrod City. Ash and Misty made their first stop back at the battle tower where Ash turned in both his and Mason's passes and received a substantial sum of points. After a lot of deliberation, the prize he chose was a limited edition "Champion of the Day" hat, which he wore proudly. Unfortunately for Ash, that was the most enjoyable stop he made for the rest of the day. Misty managed to drag him around to shop after shop, searching for just the right thing to wear to the dance. Ash was able to shop around a few department stores while Misty tried on the different outfits, but that was the extent of his free-roaming. After some time, Misty finally decided on an outfit, while also taking the liberty of choosing an outfit for Ash.

Dawn was more than happy to help Brock in choosing an outfit having brought her own in her contest attire, though they settled on the simple tuxedo and bowtie that Brock had worn on previous occasions. Dawn was excited at the thought of being able to continue her shopping, however she was cut off on multiple occasions, forced to interrupt Brock in his foolish attempts at wooing girl after girl. They did manage to make a successful stop at one of the medical supply depots where Brock restocked on a lot of the supplies he and Chansey used. After Dawn had had enough shopping and headaches, she dragged Brock back to the hotel and called it an early afternoon.

May had also already brought her contest outfits and had something to wear. She was also quick to pick something for Mason to wear. They spent a few hours bouncing from shop to shop, enjoying the day. Oddly May wasn't on quite the shopping spree she had earlier in the day and Mason found it pretty easy to carry the things she had bought. After a few hours they took a break, sitting on a bench in the middle of a crowded park. Mason began playing with Noone before giving her her favorite treat, a few scratches behind the ears. May released Glaceon and Munchlax to join in on the fun. Before they knew it, Mason and May were surrounded by wild pokemon all investigating the noises coming from the bench. It was quite enjoyable until a snorlax began making his way over with intent in his eyes. May quickly recalled her pokemon and they took off, fleeing from the giant pokemon.

The sun began lowering in the sky, preparing to cast its final light on the city. At the hotel, the group had all found their way to their rooms and were getting ready for the dance.

"This place is amazing!" Dawn was running around the room looking at everything. "It's even better than I had imagined! Mrs. Ketchum really knows what she's doing!"

The other two girls were busy making their preparations for the dance. "Dawn, shouldn't you be getting dressed?" May called out from her room.

"I will, don't worry!" Dawn yelled back, "This is just so exciting! I never thought I'd be staying at the Yamada!" She continued messing with things all around the room. Meanwhile across the hall an identical scene was taking place. Ash was very preoccupied with all of the features of the room, finding it hard to focus on just one thing. Between his trips across the room, he made frequent stops at the refrigerator that was stocked to the brim with delicious food.

Brock emerged from his room, straightening his bowtie. "You know, Ash, Misty's going to kill you if you miss this dance."

Ash turned bright red and his face froze in shock. "W-Whaddya mean?"

"Wasn't she the one who paid for your outfit?" Brock chuckled, "She won't be too happy if you don't do anything with it." Ash eased up and his face returned to normal.

"Oh…right." He finished the sandwich he was eating and took his bag into one of the rooms just as Mason was coming out. He was wearing a maroon tuxedo with a white tie and black slip-on shoes, the one thing he had requested when May had chosen his outfit.

"Wow, looking good! Nice choice!" Brock gave a thumbs up.

Mason chuckled, "Thanks, but the compliments go to May. She's the one who picked everything out." They laughed as Noone began sniffing around Mason's feet. She had never seen him dressed up before. "Whaddya think?" Mason said to Noone. "She did a good job, huh?" Noone sat down and gave a big smile and Mason ruffled the hair on her head.

A few minutes later Brock and Mason began getting worried about Ash missing the party as he still hadn't come out of the room. Just as they were about to force the door open and drag him down to the party themselves, he came out of the room wearing a white tuxedo with a matching white bow-tie. Misty had also picked out a black top hat with a white band around it for him to wear.

Brock was honestly surprised to see Ash dressed up as well as he was. "Wow, Misty really knows what she's doing!" He and Mason laughed. Ash was nervously fidgeting with his tie and his hair.

"I look like an old man going to some important meeting…" Pikachu whined nervously, looking in the mirror as Ash adjusted his outfit. He tilted the bow-tie to both sides before settling it in the middle again.

"You look like someone about to go to a dance, now come on!" Brock threw his arm around Ash's shoulder. "We don't wanna be late, do we?" Silently and secretly, Ash thought to himself that it might just be better if they were late. Mason joined them and they left the room, headed downstairs to the ballroom.

In the ballroom guests had already been arriving for the last hour and were mingling amongst themselves. Everyone was there from trainers that had just started their journeys the day before to Pokemon Breeders and even some of the trainers from Whitney's gym.

The girls all arrived together, walking into the ballroom at the same time. Dawn arrived wearing a bright white dress with thin strips of fabric running all the way around from the waist down. She wore her hair down as usual, only without a hat. On her wrists she wore white cuffs and she had white flat-bottom dress shoes on her feet. May was dressed in a sparkling red kimono trimmed in gold along the seams. Her hair was done in her normal double-ponytail reaching down to her neck where she wore a shining ruby necklace her mother had given to her. She wore matching gloves and shoes. Misty wore a light-blue sleeveless dress that went down just past her knees, embroidered with red swirls. Her hair was down, the fiery orange complimenting the blue tear-drop earrings she wore. Her shoes were black with a slight heel on them.

As they had expected, the boys had yet to arrive, so they waited by the snack table for the dance to start.

With only a few minutes to spare, Ash, Brock and Mason ran toward the counter and lined up, presenting their tickets one at a time. Ash stepped into the ballroom and laughed excitedly. The decorations were astounding, with pictures of the different starter pokemon pasted on every wall and ice sculptures of cydaquil, tododile and chikorita in the middle of the punch bowls, keeping the drinks cool. That's when Ash noticed the girls and gasped. He'd seen May and Dawn dressed for contests before, but he had never seen Misty dressed as nicely as she was now, and rarely did he see her with her hair down.

"Wow," Brock commented, "they really did a great job in here, didn't they?" Neither Mason nor Ash replied. Mason had also noticed the girls at the table and was stunned. Noone realized Mason's trance and gave him a shove from behind, causing him to stumble forward a few steps, snapping him and Ash out of their stares and making Brock laugh. "Easy guys, don't get drool on your suits."

They made their way over to the snack table. "Wow! Look at that!" Misty called out and the other girls turned. "Someone has good taste in clothing!" She said, gesturing to Ash's outfit. The other girls giggled as Ash blushed. "Brock and Mason don't look too bad either!"

"Of course not, they had the help of professionals!" May and Dawn high-fived and everyone laughed.

After a few minutes of chatting, the lights dimmed and a man appeared in the middle of the dance floor with a microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third annual 'Starter Kickoff Dance' here at the Yamada!" The crowd erupted in applause and cheering. "As with last year, we'll be kicking it off with a fun dance number for everybody! So everyone put on your dancing shoes, let your pokemon out and let's have some fun!" The crowd cheered again as colorful lights and spotlights lit up the dance floor.

"What are we waiting for?" Brock yelled, "Let's go!" Brock threw his pokeball into the air and released Chansey. Dawn followed and threw a pokeball into the air and let Buneary out onto the dance floor followed by May's munchlax and Poof. The pokemon all gathered around each other as others came to join them. The group took the dance floor and began dancing and enjoying the music. All throughout the party people and pokemon alike were swinging and swaying to the beat. Buneary took Pikachu's hand and began twirling him around while Chansey and a blissey danced together. Munchlax found his way to the snack table and began making off with plate after plate of food.

The night goes on and the group is having the time of their lives. Soon the party slows down a bit as people tire out. Mason has been taking breaks to dance with Noone and the other pokemon, becoming quite popular amongst them much to everyone's delight. Brock's ear was bright red and throbbing after being pulled countless times by Misty while Dawn and May giggled. Ash had run into a few newbie trainers and took great pride in telling them all about his adventures.

Suddenly everyone was on the dance floor again as Caramelldansen came on over the speakers. The entire dance floor was caught up in the dance and at one point the spotlights shone on a group of three girls who seemed to perfectly mimic the song move for move.

When the song finished, everyone was in a wonderful mood, but slightly exhausted. The DJ eased things up with a slow dance number. As soon as the music started, Ash and Misty turned and faced each other across the dance floor before quickly looking away, blushing. Brock took the liberty of "accidentally" shoving Ash while Dawn did the same with Misty. They both stumbled a few steps forward and met face-to-face on the dance floor. They both blushed as Misty giggled. After a few moments, Misty held her hand up. "Would you…honor me with a dance?" Ash was stunned for a moment, and then slowly took Misty's hand into his and began dancing as well as he knew how.

Elsewhere on the dance floor, Mason was stuck deep in thought as he watched May dancing by herself. Sensing his doubt, Noone turned to Poof, who simply snickered and disappeared. Suddenly Noone rammed into Mason, sending him back out onto the dance floor. Across from him, May came floating his way once more, carried by the invisible Poof. He slowly released her in front of Mason. For a moment they simply stared at each other, before Mason slowly held his hand out for May to take. He lead her toward the middle of the dance floor where they begin slowly dancing.

"You know, Ash," Misty began, "even with all of our usual bickering, I have to say, this is…nice." She smiled at Ash who gave a nervous smile back.

"I…guess…" Ash was still slightly uncomfortable being so close to Misty, even though it felt so natural. She hoped that by the time the song was over he might actually mature a little and dance with her the way she wished he would.

"You know Ash…I…" Misty stopped, afraid of what might come next. "I…" Before she could finish, the lights all around them went dim. A spotlight turned on and shone toward the center of the room where a crowd had begun gathering around. Although he's waiting to hear what Misty has to say, Ash can't help but become distracted by all of the commotion. After a few moments, he lets go of Misty's hand.

"What's going on…? Let's check it out." He walks off as Misty watches and mutters a single cry, rendered breathless at how close she was. After a moment of reliving the few precious previous seconds, she makes her way next to Ash to investigate, followed closely by Dawn and Brock.

Each of them is speechless as they witness the sight in front of them: Mason and May, slowly dancing all across the dance floor, perfectly in step, their eyes almost never leaving each others'. The feeling in the room is strong and heavy, the chemistry between the two in the spotlight commanding attention from everyone.

Ash and Brock continue to watch, amazed. "I didn't know…wow, they really know how to dance…" Ash mutters.

"Yeah…" Brock says absent-mindedly, still staring, as if they might take off and fly away at any moment.

Misty and Dawn are still speechless. The one thing they've noticed this entire time is the intensity between the two. Almost never breaking eye contact, completely unaffected by anything going on around them. Misty suddenly feels a sharp pain in her heart as she imagines herself in May's position, which could have been possible only a few moments ago. She turns away and wipes a single tear from her eye while Dawn continues staring.

As the music goes on, Mason and May seem to grow more and more enveloped with one another, completely lost in each others' embrace. She feels his hands grasping her waist, pulling her closer and closer with every step. Their dancing intensifies, the two of them moving without a single thought but those of the person across from them, every note and every beat accentuating their movements.

With no hesitation, Mason wraps his right arm around May's waist as he holds her hand up with his left. The two of them are almost moving as one person, gliding from one point to the next. People and pokemon alike continue to watch the spectacle unfold, almost convinced that this had been planned by the hotel staff from the beginning. It was far too perfect to have been so spontaneous.

The music enters its final decline, steadily slowing to its original melody. Mason and May slowly return to the middle of the circle. The air in the room is completely still as they simply stand and stare at each other, closer than ever before. As the music begins to fade, Mason leans May back, pulling her closer and closer until he can feel her breath slide across his nose. She closes her eyes and prepares herself for what's to come next…

Suddenly the crowd roars and applauds the two, bringing them back to reality. Mason quickly looks around and notices the circle around them. He pulls May back up and takes a bow as he blushes. May simply smiles and waves, attempting to catch up with her thoughts, which all suddenly came flooding back. The two of them leave the dance floor on separate sides, followed by their pokemon. The announcer thanks them over the speakers for their wonderful performance and continues on to the next song.

Misty has since taken a seat, retracing the few moments she had had to dance with Ash. She looks up and notices him back on the dance floor enjoying himself. Brock looks over to her and she forces a smile. To her relief he buys it and continues flirting with one of the party-goers.

Nearly an hour later the party comes to a close with only half of the people still there, the other half having already left. All of the pokemon are returned to their pokeballs as everyone says their goodbyes. Misty makes her way out the door and up to the room as soon as she can while Dawn continues chatting excitedly with May about what had happened.

Mason and Noone are sitting down resting when Noone lets out a small sigh. "I hear you. Come on, let's go." The two of them join Ash and Brock and they all return to their rooms. The ballroom clears and the hotel crew sets about the tedious task of returning it to its clean state. For many people throughout the city, tonight will be a night to be remembered.

* * *

Mason, Ash and Brock had all changed into night clothes and now sit around the bar in the kitchen picking at the food on the counter. They've all been sharing stories of past adventures with one another. Brock tells them all about his progress in becoming a Pokemon Doctor, Mason retells his stories of the few gym battles he's had, and Ash and Brock both tell Mason all about some of the times they managed to save the world, much to Mason's astonishment.

"I remember that…" Mason thought back a few years, "the weather was crazy for a few days and a whole bunch of pokemon kept flocking through town in the same direction." He looked toward Ash, "You're saying you were there?"

"Yeah!" Ash said excitedly, "There was a whole legend with my name in it and everything!"

Mason was a little skeptical and looked toward Brock. "That really happened?"

"I wasn't there, I was…somewhere else…" Brock shuttered, then snapped out if it, "But with the adventures we've been on together, I don't doubt it for a second." He slapped Ash on the back. "Ash and I have been through things most people don't even imagine in their lifetimes." He and Ash chuckled.

"Wow…I've gotta say, that's amazing." Mason took a bite out of his sandwich, then broke a piece off and threw it to Noone. "So you've got quite a few pokemon, huh?"

Ash laughed, "Yeah, though most of them stay with Professor Oak. Someday I want to be a Pokemon Master and catch every kind of pokemon there is!" He paused for a second, "So you've only got Noone, Poof and Seven?"

"Yeah, but that's alright with us. Well, actually…" He thought for a second, "Back at home there's a dratini that my neighbors are taking of. His name's Red."

Brock and Ash gasped, "**You've** got a dratini? Why is he at home? Why don't you train him?" Ash began spewing questions.

"Woah," Mason held his hand up, "hold on. I did catch Red, but he's not mine." Brock and Ash just stared. "Well, he found my house one day. I tried to show him the way back into the wild, but he was pretty persistent on staying. Eventually he broke one of my windows and jumped through." Mason laughed, "He was really friendly but very shy around others. When he didn't leave, I decided to catch him and help him find his real owner. He just…doesn't belong to me. I can't really explain it any better than that."

Ash laughed excitedly, "That's awesome! Maybe he belongs to me?" Everyone shared a laugh as Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and grabbed an apple from the table.

"I'm sure I'll know someday. Until then he's a great pal and fun to have around." After a few more small side conversations, Ash and Brock continued telling Mason all about their travels. Mason and Noone continued to listen, becoming more and more amazed as they went on. Eventually they explained how they had split up a year ago and how it was great to be together again.

"Ah…Man, that sounds great." Mason began dreaming about traveling all the way to Sinnoh and Hoenn, visiting places all around the world. "And it's awesome that you've all been such good friends this entire time."

"The best of friends," Ash corrected, "till the very end." Ash and Brock both nodded toward each other.

"Wow…" Mason was still lost in thought. Brock smirked and seized the opportunity.

"So Mason," he started, "where'd you learn to dance?" He grinned toward Mason.

"Oh!" Ash remembered the dance less than an hour ago, "Yeah! You were great, the spotlight's were shining and everything!"

Mason turned red began laughing nervously. "Well, to be honest I didn't know I knew how to dance." He said, still laughing.

"But you and May were so great!" Ash had yet to pick up on the insinuation Brock had made, making Mason ease up a little.

"Yeah, you** and May **were really great **together**!" Brock added, laughing. Mason blushed again.

"Eheh, yeah…" Mason wasn't sure what to say. Ash finally picked up on Brock's heavy hinting and grinned.

"Ahhh…May's pretty good at dancing too, isn't she?" Ash snickered, "In fact, I've never seen her dance like that before. Not until she was dancing with you."

Mason continued to laugh nervously, still unsure of what to say. He remembered everything from earlier, and had absolutely loved the few minutes that he and May were dancing. He hadn't even realized the crowd that had formed around them until they started clapping.

Just then Noone gave him another nudge, she had really been enjoying herself lately. He looked down at the big smile on her face. "Not you too. Traitor." Everyone laughed as Mason grabbed a grape from the tray in front of them and threw it to Noone. "To be honest, it just happened," he said, "We bumped into each other on the dance floor with the help of a certain ninetails and a certain haunter." He sighed, "The next thing I knew we were completely lost in the music. I didn't even know you guys were watching until the music stopped."

"Everyone was watching," Brock said, "you guys took half the dance floor." They all laughed again. "You guys definitely looked happy though."

"Yeah…" Mason kept reliving the night in his head. Across from him, Ash was also lost in thought as he recalled what was happening just before he had stopped to watch Mason and May. He remembered his short dance with Misty and how it had felt. Suddenly he remembered what Misty had been saying, and that he had cut her off before she could finish. He kept running through all the things she could have said had he given her just a few more seconds. Then he realized that he hadn't really seen Misty at all for the rest of the night.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Brock startled him with his question, and then he realized that both Mason and Brock were looking his way wearing confused looks.

"I…I think I'm gonna go to bed…" Ash got up from his chair and walked toward the bedroom as Mason and Brock just watched in confusion. They had all been laughing and enjoying themselves only seconds ago. Pikachu hopped off of the counter and ran after Ash, making it into the room just before Ash closed it.

"What…was that?" Mason asked. Brock didn't answer, he just watched as Ash left, thinking about what could possibly be wrong. He's hit with an epiphany when he remembers the few moments before Mason and May's dance. He felt like an idiot for not having noticed it earlier, remembering seeing Misty sitting at one of the tables during the dance.

"Let's just give him some time," Brock said finally, "I think he's got a lot to think about." Mason grunted in agreement. A few moments later the kitchen was cleaned up and Mason was laying on the couch with Noone while Brock and Chansey read some of the manuals they had picked up earlier today.

* * *

Across the hall in the girls' room, May was still trying to change the subject as Dawn continued to gush about her dance with Mason. Misty sat across the room on the couch, attempting to get her mind off of the dance with some T.V.

"It was just so amazing!" Dawn was sitting at the bar with a drink in front of her. "You guys were so great! The music, the lights, the dancing!"

May was standing across the way from Dawn with a drink in her hand. "Yeah, I remember," May said for the tenth time, "It was amazing…" She chuckled lightly, telling the truth. She was taken by surprise bt the entire thing, and was almost mad at herself over it, considering how things had turned out with Drew. The one person she let herself get close to after so long and he tossed her to the ground. Now she found herself in almost the same position over the course of a single day.

"**Gahh**! It was just…" Dawn's face beamed, "You know!" Dawn turned and leaned over the counter toward May. "So what happened? I mean you only met him yesterday and from what I saw tonight it seemed like you two have practiced that for weeks!"

May wasn't really sure how to answer, she was still a little confused herself as to how it had all happened. She just shrugged and giggled. Dawn turned back and looked up toward the ceiling, clasping her hands. "I wish something like that could happen to me!" Across the room, Misty was trying as hard as she could to ignore them, but this statement brought her full attention to the kitchen. "To be whisked away and caught in such a passionate embrace, all in the blink of an eye!"

May suddenly remembered exactly what had happened before the dance. She smiled and closed her eyes. "That's right…the song came on, and I was just dancing by myself on the dance floor." Dawn's face lit up even more and she turned and faced May. "That's when I bumped into him. We didn't even say anything…we didn't have to. He just held up his hand and led me to the dance floor. For the next few minutes there was nothing but the music, the rhythm, and his eyes."

"Ahh…" Dawn continued to stare.

"I didn't even have to think about the dance, it just flowed out step-by-step." She giggled, "I didn't even notice you guys watching us. Not until you started clapping. I was just so caught in the moment…"

"Wow…how romantic!" Dawn's face beamed once more.

"More like rude." Dawn and May are surprised to hear Misty from across the room. "The two of you took up over half of the dance floor all to yourselves." She stood up from the couch with a stern look on her face, looking toward the T.V. still. For a moment none of them say anything. Misty suddenly grows concerned and looks over to the other two, who are still staring at her. "I-I'm sorry…I mean…what I meant…" She stands in silence for another few moments before shaking her head and running to her room.

For just a few more moments, the other two simply stare at the empty space in front of Misty's door. Finally they turn to each other and exchange an uncomfortable smile. The mood had been slightly disturbed, but Dawn's still infatuated with the thought of the entire thing.

"You know…tonight was only missing one thing." Dawn said softly as she put her glass away. "One thing and I think it might have been perfect…"

"Hm?" May was caught off guard again by Dawn's sudden statement, and how calm she had become. "What's that?"

Dawn sat for a moment, simply looking down in front of her. She nodded, agreeing with herself, then turned to May. "A kiss." May's face began turning red as she gave the idea some thought, something she hadn't done yet. Dawn smiled at her, sure of what was going through her head now.

"Well, I'm going to get some rest," Dawn said as she walked toward her room, "I'll see you in the morning." May nodded to her and sat in the kitchen for a few moments longer. Eventually she cleans her glass and puts it away, retiring to her own room.

As the minutes drag on in the darkness, May's mind is pestered by an undying urge, a request that had gone unfulfilled. She continued to replay the night in her head over and over, enjoying every moment she had shared with Mason but the last. Her mind was finally eased when she found the words to say exactly what it was that she had wanted: "Why **didn't** he kiss me…"

* * *

Hidden underground, far from prying eyes, Giovanni read through the different reports being filed by the different branches. Each one causes the grin on his face to grow just a little more sinister until he's finally laughing with himself. A beep is heard and he hit's a button under his desk, activating the screen in front of him. Maxie is shown standing in a large room with multiple henchmen working in the background.

"Giovanni, we've just received reports of strange happenings in the oceans between Kanto and Hoenn." He looked at the paper in his hand, then back to Giovanni. "Cyclones and whirlpools of immense proportions have been appearing within 50 knots of each other."

"It's happening…" Giovanni couldn't help but laugh again. His genius was finally being utilized to its fullest. "Excellent. Contact Archie and tell him to have his men ready all along the coastline. Have yours assemble on land and be prepared. And remember, remain incognito for as long as possible. We don't need any more troubles than what the pokemon are going to give us."

"Understood." Maxie turns to leave, but stops and returns his sight to the screen. "Also, what's to be done with Jirachi?"

Giovanni remembered the wish granting pokemon they had awoken a few nights ago. "We've gotten what we need from it. Do with it what you wish."

"Got it." The screen flicked off and Giovanni returned to the reports in front of him, starting back from the beginning simply to gleam over his accomplishments once more.

* * *

**A/N:** And that's why I call it Danceshipping. =] Hope you guys enjoyed! I'll update as soon as I can, I promise! Please read and review!

EDIT: So someone pointed out to me that apparently there's already a DanceShipping. That was my bad. o.o;; I've changed the name to OneDayShipping (MasonxMay) representing the short time it took for the two of them to become so close.


	11. Disarray

**A/N: **Wow. So, just so you all know, I'm **extremely** sorry I haven't updated in so long. The holidays hit and for whatever reason I just couldn't put myself back into that writing groove. As odd as it sounds to say this (to myself anyway, seeing as how the past has been) it was a little difficult to get this chapter out. And as much as I want to give you guys something to read, the one thing I want more is for that something to be great, not half-assed, so I'm not going to go force myself to write.

Anyway, here's the next installment! Hope you enjoy it!

Side note: I'm going to start working on my next fic here soon (don't worry, this one's not ending any time soon) and was planning on doing it from the perspective of a group of pokemon as well as humans. I can't seem to settle on any good ideas for which pokemon to use, though. So if you've got anything you'd like to see and you think I could make it work, send me a PM or leave it in a review.** Thanks!  


* * *

**The S.S. Cloud makes its way through calm night seas, drawing ever-closer to Kanto. Our heroes onboard have already saved the day twice; once when they defeated Team Rocket and again when they managed to keep the boat steady and propel it out of a large whirlpool. After receiving praise from the captain (and an all-you-can-eat pass for the dining hall) the boys had planned on relaxing for the remainder of their trip, which should only be another half-day at the most.

Tyrel and Gary returned to their rooms shortly after dinner to call it an early night. Meanwhile Ritchie and Max had decided to explore the inner workings of the ship as Ritchie had been doing before saving Max earlier that day. The two of them walk into the engine room and Max is enthralled with all of the sights.

"Wow…" He slowly looked from one side to the other. They stood behind a railing and across from them filling a large part of the room was an intricate web of bars, pistons, whistles, and all sorts of things that Max had no clue about but were fascinating nonetheless. "You've gotta wonder how people figured out how to make all this stuff in the first place, y'know?"

Ritchie, who had visited the engine room of both the S.S. Aqua and the S.S. Cloud on multiple occasions, had never wondered how all of it worked. He chuckled, "You know, you're right, I hadn't ever thought of that." For a moment the two of them continued looking around at all of the moving parts around them.

Suddenly Max reaches over and pushes Ritchie. "You're it!" He then takes off and rounds a corner before Ritchie takes off after him. Sparky hops off of his shoulder and runs back the other way to flank Max. Max jumps over the pokemon and keeps running, out of the engine room and up the stairs they had come from, Ritchie and Sparky tailing close behind.

Just as Ritchie's about to leap forward and tag Max back, the ferry lurches to the side and both boys are thrown into the wall. Ritchie jumps back to his feet and hurries over to check on Max, who gives him a nod. Seconds later the captain is back on the intercom: "Ladies and gentlemen at this moment if you could please return to your rooms and assume a safe position. Once again we will be experiencing some turbulence as we seem to have some troubled waters ahead."

Max and Ritchie both look at each other and nod. Both of them had thought the same thing and took off up the stairs for the deck, meeting Gary along the way.

"What's wrong?" Gary yells as they continue running.

"We don't know yet." Max replies. The three of them burst onto the deck and stare in awe at the ocean in front of them, where they can see multiple cyclones and whirlpools tossing water everywhere. They run around and into the stairs leading to the helm. Inside is the captain, all of the crew, and Tyrel.

"My god…" The first mate stares with his mouth agape. "Sir, what is it?"

"It's nothing good, and it'll be the end of this ship if we don't act fast," the captain snaps, "Radio the mainland and tell them what's out here."

"Captain, didn't you radio the mainland after the whirlpool?" Tyrel asked.

"Yes, and we weren't the only ones. I was hoping we'd be able to make it to Kanto without running into anything, but the mainland reports said that whirlpools and cyclones like these are popping up all over the place. Every rescue team from Sinnoh to Hoenn has been dispatched all day responding to calls." As he speaks, he's constantly fighting for control of the wheel as the seas underneath the ferry are being torn in almost every direction.

"Is there anything we can do?" Gary asks, although he already knows the answer.

"Not this time, son. I'm sorry. We'll hold the ship as long as we can, but I'd suggest-" The captain's cut off as the ship lurches once more, causing Max to lose his balance and trip. Ritchie's quick to drop to his knees and catch him.

"Thanks…" Max said, sighing.

"No problem." Ritchie forced a smile, still very aware of the trouble they were in. "What were you saying Captain?" Ritchie asked, without standing back up. He looked back up to the captain whose eyes were glued to the window. Ritchie quickly glanced around the rest of the room and everyone shared the same trance the captain seemed to be in.

Max had also noticed how silent the room had grown. He and Ritchie stood up and turned toward the window. The sight in front of them left them just as speechless as the rest of the room.

Three of the cyclones had converged some ways ahead of the ship and were twirling around each other violently, spewing streams of water hundreds of feet out. All around these cyclones were a series of whirlpools that had formed, some of them swirling clockwise with the others swirling counter-clockwise.

"Hard to port!" The captain yelled, trying his hardest to turn the wheel to the right. The men in the room all snapped out of their trances and returned to following the captain's orders.

"Wait!" Max yells, "Look!" He points back out the window to where the cyclones and whirlpools had gathered. All of them were spinning faster and faster, creating a blur of swirling water. All at once they stopped and the waters fell from the sky. Behind them was a lugia with its arms spread wide, staring down into the waters beneath it.

As everyone was staring in astonishment at the sudden appearance of the legendary pokemon, a kyogre burst out of the water and fired off a hyper beam attack at the lugia, who easily avoided it and retaliated with an ice beam, hitting the kyogre and sending it back into the water. Soon after, the lugia dove into the waters to chase after it.

"Was that a lugia?" Ritchie asked.

"And a kyogre!" Gary yelled, "It looked like they were fighting!"

"But why? Why would they-" Before Max can finish, the ship lurches once again, though everyone's a little more prepared this time and braces themselves. The lugia bursts out of the water again a mere 50 yards away. It seems to be fleeing from the water until the kyogre lunged forth-sending the ship rocking once more-and slammed into the lugia, pulling it back into the water.

"Halt all engines!" The captain yelled. Two men in the front pull back on a pair of levers and the ship slowly begins drifting. "We can't risk hitting either of them."

"We've gotta do something!" Max cried, "We can't just let them kill each other!"

"Max…" Ritchie said softly, "there's nothing we **can** do…"

Max grunted and clenched his teeth as tears formed in his eyes. He kept hearing Jirachi's cries from the night before. There was obviously something wrong, only further proven now by these two fighting right in front of them. He made an attempt to run for the door, but Tyrel blocked the way.

"You…we can't, I'm sorry." Tyrel said, his head hanging low. Before anyone else could say anything, the lugia appeared once more, this time moving at incredible speeds. The kyogre could be seen breaching the water as it chased after the lugia.

"Sir! They're headed straight for the Johto mainland!"

"Get on the radio now and inform them! All ahead full!" The captain took control of the wheel again and turned it to the left, allowing the ship to turn until it was following the path the kyogre had taken. Meanwhile the whirlpools and cyclones had all subsided. "Plot a course for the nearest town in Johto. We're not risking any more trouble."

"Aye-Aye captain." The two men pushed their levers forward and the ship began churning waters again.

"Plotting course for Goldenrod city port, sir." The man with the GPS said.

"Excellent." The captain said. He turned to the boys, "Thank you for your concern boys. I have no doubt that if there was anything to be done you boys would have been the ones to figure out what it was. I'm sorry you had to see that-that anyone had to see that. Something's not right in the world, and we can only hope that this is the worst of it."

"What do you mean?" Max asked, hoping to hear some news about Jirachi.

"These whirlpools and cyclones have been all over the ocean today, but that's not the only thing happening. Mainland reports informed us that strange weather patterns and geological anomalies were popping up everywhere. The cinnabar volcano's been acting up again, as well as Mt. Chimney in Hoenn. The Sky Pillar and Bell Tower have both crumbled to the ground. And apparently the entire town of Alto Mare was wiped out by an enormous wave."

The boys all simply stared in disbelief, unable to fully comprehend what the captain had just told them. In the course of less than a day the entire world was in disarray and a was wiped off the face of the planet, just like that.

"That's…that can't be…why?" Ritchie was unable to articulate full sentences with how many thoughts were going through his mind.

"I think what we just witnessed might have something to do with it." Gary said calmly, prompting everyone to turn toward him. "Obviously there's a disturbance somewhere in the balance of nature. Kyogre is an ancient and powerful pokemon with the ability to control the very climate through its control of the seas. Lugia is also the protector of a very important part of the ecosystem: the undersea currents that flow across the entire planet. No one fully understands why or how, but those currents keep our weather patterns in check and normal, according to our standards. To see the two of them fighting…there's obviously something going on that caused the two of them to cross paths and possibly blame each other for the disturbances."

"But what about the volcanoes? Or the towers?" Tyrel asked, "Surely ocean currents and climate changes couldn't have caused those as well."

"And that's what I'm afraid of," Gary said in a very low voice, "What if…what if those two aren't the only ones?" Everyone remained silent as the thought was considered. "Groudon, another ancient pokemon said to have fought with Kyogre, is a very powerful pokemon with control over the elements that create landmass, which includes volcanoes. The Sky Pillar was said to have been the resting place of Rayquaza, the ancient pokemon said to keep watch over our atmosphere. Though it usually never leaves the o-zone, it has been sighted atop the sky pillar previously. These three pokemon alone, if ever disturbed, could destroy the ecosystem as we know it without a second thought."

"But I've seen Rayquayza!" Max cried, "It only wants to protect the planet, not destroy it! That's why he battled Deoxys when it crash-landed here!"

"I know, Max," Gary said, "but I don't think this is the same. In anything I've ever read, I've never heard any reports of Lugia and Kyogre crossing paths, let alone battling each other. I think there's something that's causing them to fight, and I don't think they're the only ones."

"Just tell us what you know," Tyrel said, "That's the only way we might be able to figure this thing out."

"I don't think we can figure this out. I'm sure if anyone can it's Grandpa. But I'll tell you what I know…"

As everyone in the helm listened, Gary retold stories told to him by his grandfather Professor Oak. Stories of mysterious and powerful pokemon all across the globe, hidden from humans, keeping watch over the planet in their own ways. The three legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres, said to maintain order amongst the elements. The legendary beasts Raikou, Entei and Suicune, created by Ho-oh that kept watch over the different areas of the world. Celebi, Jirachi, and Mew, all three of which giving life to large regions of pokemon and plant-life. He reminded them of what he had just said about Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza keeping watch over the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. The three lake guardians Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf who, when created, gave humans intelligence, emotion and willpower. And finally, he told of the three legendary dragons Palkia, Dialga and Giratina, created by the god pokemon Arceus. The three of them were each given a realm to watch over, Palkia's being space, Dialga's being time, and Giratina's being the realms outside of our comprehension. All of these pokemon working to keep the people, pokemon, the planet and everything else in a state of balance and harmony.

"Volcanoes, the oceans, even the skies; the world as we know it could be thrown into complete chaos if these pokemon were ever disturbed. It's happened before on small scales, but if this is all happening at once…" Gary didn't want to finish.

"Then we have to do something!" Max cried, "We can't just sit here and watch it happen!"

"What can we do, Max?" Tyrel asked, "None of us-"

Max cuts him off, "**Anything!** I don't care what it is, we **have** to try!" He turned to the captain, "There **has** to be something we can do, no matter what it is!"

The captain stared for a moment, and then smiled. "Max is right. There's no point to just hiding and waiting for it to pass. We'll get any information we can from the mainland." He turned to the front of the room, "ETA?"

"About eight hours, captain." One of the men replies, "We should be there just after dawn."

"Good. Much sooner than I had anticipated." The captain knelt in front of Max, "You've got a lot of spirit, son. Don't ever forget that, and don't ever lose it, no matter what happens. You can do great things." He stood back up and addressed them all, "I'd ask you boys to return to your rooms, but something tells me you'd rather be up here."

"Yes," Max said.

"I'd like to stay here with Max, too," Ritchie said, smiling at Max.

"It'd be easier to try and get some sleep," Tyrel said, "though I'll be here the second you need me."

"And me as well, Umbreon's still in the room waiting for me." Gary and Tyrel both shook the captain's hand.

"Thank you, boys." The two of them left the helm and returned to their rooms. Max continued to look out the window toward their destination. His mind raced with thoughts from Jirachi being awoken to the captain's words. He missed traveling with Ash, May and Brock, and wished the three of them were with him. They overcame impossible odds and obstacles time and time again, and just being with them would make him much more comfortable.

For the time being he had his new friends, and together they had already saved the ferry. Maybe there was hope after all. All that remained was to wait for their arrival in Goldenrod. He could get a hold of everyone from there and then things would be alright.

They had to be.

* * *

The sun started shining through the windows of the Yamada, greeting the early risers and waking others. Lying in their beds, Ash and Mason were both still fast asleep as their rooms began to light up.

The sun crept ever further until it shone directly into Ash's eyes. He squinted them shut as he was abruptly awakened. He looked around the room for a moment, slightly confused as to where he was. Once he remembered he hopped out of bed, ready and eager to dine on some gourmet breakfast provided by the best chefs in all of Johto. That was until the memories of the dance the night before came racing back. He had spent half of the night awake in bed, tormented by the memories of his dance with Misty, and how he had left her behind in an instant.

He slowly slouched back onto the bed, resting his elbows on his knees. Pikachu jumped up next to him and gave him a worried sigh.

"Why am I always so stupid…" He clenched his fists, "I'm such a jerk. I completely blew her off…" Pikachu inched closer and gave Ash a few pats of reassurance. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes, just like they had all last night. He quickly shook his head a few times and wiped them away. "Why does it matter? It was just a stupid dance anyway." Still, even with this rationalization, he couldn't explain why it hurt so much.

He stood from the bed and began getting dressed. Pikachu ran to retrieve his new hat from off of the stand next to the door. He held it up to Ash with a peace sign. Ash looked down and chuckled. "Official Champ" the hat read, with the official battle tower seal underneath the words.

"Thanks, pal." Ash reached down and lifted Pikachu up onto his shoulder where Pikachu placed the hat onto his head. Ash scratched Pikachu behind the ears. "You ready for some food?"

"Pikaaa!" The mouse pokemon cried out. He stepped out of his room and was met by Brock. He was dressed in his apron with a bowl in his arm, stirring it with the other hand.

"Morning bed-head!" Brock said, "The girls took off for the breakfast buffet, but I decided that since we had all of this stuff at our disposal, might as well make use of it!"

That's when Ash noticed the aroma of freshly cooked food in the air. "Aha! Good ol' Brock!" He followed Brock into the kitchen and took a seat at the bar once again. On the other side Brock had ingredients and cooking utensils spewed all over the counter and sink.

"Hey, where's Mason?" Ash asked.

"Still asleep, I guess. Haven't seen him at all this morning," Brock answered, not turning away from the food he was preparing. "Wanna go wake him up?"

"Nah, let's let him sleep in. He was probably exhausted after everything last night." The two of them chuckled.

In Mason's room, the sun had made its way over Mason's bed, though he had covered himself completely in the blankets they had provided, effectively shielding him from the bright lights. Had he been left to his own accord he probably would have remained in the extremely comfortable bed for most of the day. Noone, however, had other plans. She slowly got up from her spot next to Mason and made her way to the end of the bed. She took a corner of the blankets and gave it a yank, exposing Mason to the cool morning air and the bright morning sun.

"Ruuuhhh…no…" Mason muttered at his abrupt awakening. Once his eyes adjusted to the light he looked toward the bottom of the bed to see Noone sitting with the blankets still in her mouth. "Jerk," he called her as he flopped his head back down onto the bed, rubbing his eyes.

He sat straight up as he remembered where he was. For a split second he had thought that the entire night had been just a dream. He smiled toward Noone and gave his leg a pat, beckoning her over to him. "Can you believe we're staying in the Yamada?" He chuckled as he rubbed her head. "Just yesterday we were leaving Pallet Town for who-knows-where, and today here we are. And with such great friends too."

Noone turned and looked him in the eye. "Yeah, that includes her." Mason said with a smile. He turned and looked out the window. "May…" He whispered, lost in thought. After a few moments of replaying everything from the first moment of meeting the group to last night, he grew slightly concerned. Until now he hadn't realized just how awkward his current situation was, and how strange the entire day was bound to be.

As usual Noone was easy to catch on to his discomfort and gave his hand a lick. "I know girl, but still…we all only met each other yesterday…it all just happened so fast." He looked at the door uneasily, knowing Brock and Ash were already out and waiting.

Noone gave a yip and jumped onto Mason, knocking him back into the bed. While he was pinned she covered his face in kisses.

"Alright! Alright! I give!" Mason cried out, laughing. Noone eased off of him and he sat back up. "You're right. There has to be a reason we met up." He reached down and scratched her sides a bit. "You're always right, aren't you?"

He got up from the bed and got dressed before walking out to meet Ash and Brock. As soon as he left his room Pikachu hopped off of Ash's lap and ran over to Mason, standing at his feet with a smile on his face. Mason reached down and picked the small pokemon up, putting him on his shoulder and scratching his ears. "Good morning, Pikachu! Sleep well?" Pikachu sang out in happiness and agreement.

Mason made his way into the kitchen where he noticed the food all over the counter and the meal on the bar. "Wow…did you make all this?" He asked Brock, setting Pikachu onto the bar where he ran back to Ash.

"You betcha!" Brock said as he cleaned up after himself. "Help yourselves!"

"Ert's derishis!" Ash said with his mouth full of food.

"Looks like it!" Mason said, taking a seat. In front of him was the equivalent of restaurant buffet; his choice of four kinds of meats, pancakes, waffles, three different kinds of omelets, toast with or without butter, and much more. "Thanks Brock!"

Brock finished cleaning up and joined Mason and Ash. The three of them plowed through almost everything on the bar while Noone and Pikachu enjoyed a fresh batch of pokemon food that Brock had just whipped up.

"Wow," Ash said, finishing his last bite, "that was amazing Brock! I bet the girls didn't eat that well!"

"Where **are** the girls?" Mason asked, only now noticing their absence.

"They went downstairs for the breakfast the hotel provides," Brock answered, "but like I told Ash, we might as well put all of this stuff to use!" The three of them laughed.

"And it was a job well done!" Mason said, "Delicious right down to the last bite." He got up from his spot at the table and carried everything over to the sink to wash it.

"So Brock, what's the plan for today?" Ash asked.

"Well, the train leaves at half-past noon, so we've got until then to do whatever we want, I guess." Brock looked at the clock, "That's a little over four hours. No demands from me today, you're on your own!"

Mason was still a little uneasy about the whole situation. He had definitely felt something-a very strong something-for May, but what could come of it? They'd known each other for a single day, she was from Hoenn and he was from Kanto. And what about the rest of the group? It had only been a day that he had known the lot of them and, while he was having more fun than he'd had in a long time, it would seem very imposing to just tag along to wherever they went.

He decided to simply go with whatever happened as he always did and be happy with the outcome. "Well I'm up for anything," he said as he finished washing up, "as long as Noone's okay with it of course."

"Hey! We could head back to the Battle Tower!" Ash said as his face beamed, "We'll have lots more time today! If we beat eight in a row in less than an hour yesterday, imagine what we could do with four hours!"

"Sound like a plan!" He said to Ash, then turned to Noone, "You up for it?" Noone gave Mason an uneasy look, and then looked away. Mason knelt down in front of her and tilted her head toward his. "Hey, don't worry. You don't wanna fight, you don't have to fight." He smiled and gave her a peck on the cheek before standing back up. "Strike that last statement."

"Aw," Ash slouched in his chair, "Why?"

"We've done plenty of battling these past couple of days, and Noone's not really ready for any more." Mason smiled, "Hey, you're a great trainer! I'm sure you'll do fine in the single battles! Or maybe Brock will battle with you?"

"What we **should** do," Brock interjected, "is wait and see what the girls have planned before we all run off. Just as a courtesy."

That sent chills down both Mason and Ash's spines, but they both did a good job of hiding it. "I'm not going to have to go shopping all day again, am I?" Ash asked.

"We'll see," Brock answered, "let's all just get everything figured out before we run off so everyone knows what's going on."

"Seems fair and sensible," Mason said. He moved his leg out of the way before Noone could do anything. He looked down and stuck his tongue out at her, to which she responded with an ember attack. While Mason stood sizzling and stunned, Ash and Brock looked on for a second before bursting out laughing. Mason shook himself off and gave the ninetails a pat on the head.

Heading up the elevator, Misty, Dawn and May had just finished eating from the breakfast buffet provided by the hotel.

"Wow…that was even better than I thought it would be!" May said.

"Wasn't it?" Dawn replied, The pancakes were so soft and fluffy…and the berry juice had to have been freshly squeezed!" The two of them happily recalled their entire meal from start to finish while Misty listened in. She still felt bad about snapping at the two of them the night before, even though they seemed to have forgotten about it completely.

"How was yours, Misty?" May asked, hoping to break her out of her trance.

She was successful, though Misty wasn't entirely prepared for the question. "Huh? Oh, it was great!" She faked enthusiasm, though she knew it wasn't very convincing. "Best breakfast I've had since I can remember."

May gave her an uneasy smile, wanting to ask what was wrong, but decided against it.

As the elevator neared their floor, Dawn had an epiphany. "When are we supposed to be leaving?" She asked the others.

"Oh. I'm not sure." May said, trying to remember if Brock had said anything.

"I don't think Brock told us," Misty said, answering May's unasked question.

"Well let's stop by and see!" Dawn said, exiting the elevator as soon as the doors opened. May and Misty both stood frozen in place by the thought of seeing the boys. Misty was having a hard enough time with May and Dawn and was more than ready for a little time alone with her thoughts. She definitely didn't want to put on a happy face for both Brock and Ash, who would almost certainly see straight through it.

As for May, the thought of the dance and her unfulfilled wishes had been hanging in the back of her mind for most of the morning, and she wasn't quite ready to confront them face-to-face. The entire thing seemed so crazy and unreal, especially considering the fact that she knew nothing about the boy who had swept her off her feet, but it had happened and she needed more time to figure out what could possibly come of it, if anything.

The two of them seemed completely oblivious to the other's presence until the elevator door in front of them began closing again and they both shot their hands forward to stop it. After a quick moment of rationalizing, May finally realized what Misty was so upset about. She smiled and stepped back, allowing Misty to go first.

"Thanks," Misty said, giving her a smile.

"Of course." May returned the smile.

Out of the elevator and halfway down the hall, Dawn spoke to the two people she thought were with her: "They had the one right across from us, right?" She stopped and looked for a second before turning around to see Misty and May emerging from the elevator. She ran back and met them along the way. "What's up?" She asked.

"Nothing," May said, giving her a very stern smile. Dawn picked up on the hint, though she still wasn't quite sure what was going on.

"Oh. Okay. Which room was theirs again?" Dawn asked.

"It's right-" May's interrupted mid-sentence as the lights in the building go out, startling everyone. After a few moments of silence and darkened hallways, the entire building begins shaking. From inside all of the rooms and at the ends of the hallways the girls can hear windows shattering and things being thrown to the ground. The three of them drop to the floor and grab hold of each other. The thin ceiling panels all around them begin falling to the ground and shattering. All they could do was duck for cover and hope they remain safe.

* * *

**A/N:** I actually think this is the first cliffhanger I've given you guys! Not that it's too much of one, but still. =P

As I said at the beginning of the chapter, I've been having a hard time getting back into the groove of writing (shouldn't have ever stopped -.-). I'll do my best to update as often as possible, and I think that once I get started on this other fic I'll find myself pouring the chapters out again. Thanks to all who are still reading and to those who have just picked it up. =]

And again, I'm looking for ideas of which pokemon to write about (from their perspective) for my next fic! It'll be mostly romance based, not so much adventure/action like this one is/will be. So if you've got any suggestions or ideas, send me a PM or let me know in a review!


	12. Reunited

**A/N: **Once again, sorry for the really late update! I've gotten back into that "groove" and the chapters are pouring out, so I hope to keep you guys updated as often as I can!

Themagebear: I know this, and Giovanni knows this. =] Trust me.**  


* * *

**

Back in their room, the boys had all been going about their own business when the building began shaking. Ash had been on the couch with Pikachu enjoying some morning T.V. and was tuned in to a news station, though what he was seeing didn't make much sense. Brock was seated at the bar reading through more of the materials he had picked up the day before. Mason was in his room with Noone, the two of them enjoying a small nap after the large breakfast they had eaten. Right before the lights went out Noone's ears had perked up and she had shot out of the bed, waking Mason as she did. He sat up just as the lights shut off. As soon as he opened the door to ask Ash and Brock what was happening the shaking began.

The three of them dropped to the floor with their hands instinctively above their heads. For a few moments it seemed like a small earthquake, up until the glass all around them began shattering and everything on the counters began shaking off onto the floor. Mason jumped over Noone and covered her, moving toward the table in the room to get underneath it. Ash and Brock had made their way to each other and simply held their heads down, bracing for anything that might fall onto them. After a very long half minute, the shaking began easing up bit by bit until the room was calm again.

"Ohh…I can't feel my legs…" Ash groaned, slowly standing up and examining the damage. Mason and Noone crawled out from under the table.

"Is everyone alright?" Brock asked.

"I think so," Mason replied.

"Yeah I'm okay," Ash said, rubbing his legs. "Good thing nobody got hurt!" He said with a grin. "Wait a second…"

"The girls!" The three of yelled at the same time. Ash ran to the door and flung it open, Mason and Brock following close behind him. They turned to run to the elevator and stopped for a moment when they saw Dawn, Misty and May there in the hallway. The two groups saw each other and ran to meet in the middle.

"What's going on?" Misty asked. "Was that an earthquake?"

"It must have been," Brock answered, "even though it seems very unlikely, seeing as we're in Goldenrod. I don't think there's ever been an earthquake reported here, especially not one as big as the one that just hit us."

"I guess there's a first time for everything?" Mason said uncertainly. The rest of them laughed uneasily, still very shaken up, literally.

"Well, now that it's over, I guess we should check to see-" Before Brock can finish his sentence the building begins to rumble once more.

"Wahh! Not agaaain!" Dawn squealed, closing her eyes tight and hitting the floor. Brock yanked her up by the arm and pulled her toward the stairway.

"It's probably only aftershock, but I don't know how much more this building can take! We've gotta get downstairs!" Brock began running toward the stairway with Dawn's arm still in his hand. The others start to follow but a sudden violent surge knocks them all to the ground.

"We'll never make it down the stairs!" Mason yelled, "We need to find another way!"

May looked down to the end of the hall and saw the smashed window and hatched an idea. "Everybody follow me!" She yelled. They all got to their feet once more and ran to the end of the hallway, fighting to keep their balance. At the end of the hallway May looked down to the ground to judge the distance. They were on the sixth floor and it was a dizzying drop to the ground below.

"I hope this works," she mumbled reaching for a pokeball on her belt. "Go Venesaur!" The giant grass pokemon emerged, filling about half of the hallway width-wise. "Venesaur, vine whip! Grab hold of something as far down as you can go!" Venesaur shot her whips out the window and straight down. She managed to reach the ground floor and wrapped the whips around a bench that was bolted near the building.

"Great idea, May!" Brock yelled, "Everybody, let's go!" Misty climbed over Venesaur and wrapped her arms around the whips, backing out of the window and climbing toward the ground. Ash followed behind her, then Brock, and then Dawn.

"Alright, you're next," May said to Mason.

"One second!" He yelled over the sounds coming from all around them. He reached onto his belt and threw a pokeball up. Poof materialized in front of them. "I want you to carry Noone down as safe and carefully as possible!" Poof nodded and vanished, appearing again behind the ninetails, lifting her out the window. "I'll have him come back up when everyone's down and get you too, okay?" Mason said to May.

"You got it!" May said.

Mason grabbed hold of the whips and lowered himself down. When he had reached the ground he sent Poof back into the building. May recalled Venesaur and allowed Poof to lift her through the window and down to the street below, taking care not to look down as he did.

All around them people were running and screaming in panic. The entire city seemed to be rumbling more and more violently as time passed. The six of them ran toward a large park they could see in the distance, the only place not surrounded by giant skyscrapers.

Before they arrived, the rumbling stopped. They took a moment to catch their breath. Throughout the city they could hear alarms going off, glass continuing to shatter as it fell from the tall buildings, and people shouting.

"Since when to earthquakes last that long?" Misty asked.

"I don't think that was an ordinary earthquake," Brock said. "Again, we're all the way in Goldenrod City, this place has never been hit by an earthquake before, especially not one of that magnitude. Something's going on. We need to hurry and get to that park in case it starts again."

They began walking toward the park again, ready and wary in case the ground beneath them began shaking again.

"I don't like this…" May said, "I'm getting a bad feeling. I'm going to call Max and make sure he's okay."

"Good idea," Misty said, "I should call my sisters." The lot of them - aside from Mason, who didn't have a Pokegear - dialed their families to make sure everything was alright.

Just around that time, the S.S. Aqua was pulling into the Goldenrod port. Tyrel and Gary were in the helm while Max and Ritchie had gone back to their rooms to get some much needed sleep. The captain spoke into the microphone: "Ladies and gentlemen we've arrived in the Goldenrod City port. We apologize for any inconveniences but due to extreme weather conditions it was safest to dock in the nearest town. For travel arrangements, please contact the customer service desk and provide your ticket stub and you will receive a complimentary one-way pass on the magnet train for Saffron." He hung the microphone up and sat down, exhausted from the trip.

"No sign of Lugia or Kyogre," Gary said.

"Let's just hope that wherever they are," Tyrel said "neither of them are hurt." As he looked toward the city he noticed that it seemed to be much livelier than he had expected. Upon closer examination he noticed the commotion as people seemed to be panicking, running to or away from something. "What in the world…" he mutters.

The captain and Gary had also noticed, though at this point it was difficult to miss. The streets were filled with mayhem and disorder and many of the buildings seemed to be damaged in some way.

"My god…" The captain muttered, "It's worse than I had feared." At that moment Max burst through the door followed closely by Ritchie.

"It's a madhouse out there!" Ritchie yelled, "People kept yelling something about earthquakes here in Goldenrod!"

"Earthquakes in Goldenrod? That's unheard of," the captain said, "though with yesterday's events I'm not entirely surprised. We need to let the passengers know, maybe it'd be best if we docked somewhere else."

Just then, Max's PokeGear started ringing. He lifted it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Max? It's May." Max had never been more relieved to hear from his sister. "Listen some crazy stuff is going on and I was just calling to make sure you were okay."

"You're telling me. You probably won't believe this but I'm in Goldenrod right now."

"Wow, so are we! So you felt the earthquakes too?" May asked.

"Well no, we just got…wait, you said you're in Goldenrod? All of you? Where at? How far are you from the port? Is Ash-"

May cut off his slew of questions, "Calm down. Listen, you said you're at the port?"

"Yeah, and I'm not alone. It's a long story."

"Well stay there. We'll come and meet you."

"Alright, we'll be here. Call me when you're close." And with that Max hung up. "They're all here in Goldenrod and she said there **were** earthquakes," Max said.

"Things really are out of control. Alright, I want to thank you boys again for your help, and I'd be happy to let you off here, but I think we need to go someplace smaller to unload," the captain offered.

"Yeah, we'll be meeting everyone here at the port," Max said, "Thanks a lot Captain, for everything. It was great meeting you."

"And you as well, Max. Don't forget what I said. You're a very special boy, and you can do anything you want. Trust me." The captain gave Max a hug and then stood and shook everyone else's hand. "Good luck boys."

"Thanks Captain," they said in unison. The captain had a few of the crewmen escort them to the exit and lower the bridge for them. As they left they heard the captain's voice over the radio once more, informing the passengers of the change of plans.

The four of them gathered at the foot of the pier, staying close and avoiding colliding with the plethora of panicking citizens. All that was left now was to wait for the others to arrive.

* * *

Not too far from the pier, a bit of disturbance in the water has gone unnoticed thanks to the strange happenings of the day. As citizens go rushing by, a hand emerges from the depths and grasps the concrete. Shortly after, a second hand follows, and then a paw. Jessie, James and Meowth manage to haul themselves out of the water simply to sprawl out onto the ground. The journey back to land had been long and tiresome, but once again, they had somehow overcome the craziest of odds and survived.

"Is our luck ever going to change?" James asked.

"We can't change our luck if we don't have any luck," Meowth replied.

"Oh just shut up and let me rest, I'm too tired to nag at either of you right now," Jessie said, breathing out a deep sigh and laying her head to the side. For a few seconds she allowed her eyes to remain closed, knowing of the commotion going on and not wanting to deal with it at the moment. When she finally opens her eyes, what she sees amazes her almost beyond belief. "Oooh goodie! It's the twerps!"

James and Meowth both turn and see Max, Gary, Tyrel and Ritchie standing at the end of one of the piers just watching as people pass by. The four of them had yet to notice Team Rocket's arrival as Max seemed to be talking to someone on his PokeGear.

"Right on schedule, just like always!" Meowth said.

"And now's the time to attack, just like always!" Jessie replied.

"But…don't we always-" James doesn't finish his sentence before Jessie and Meowth slip through the shadows and into a nearby alleyway to concoct yet another plan.

* * *

Deeper in Goldenrod, May put her PokeGear away as everyone stood in anticipation of what she had to say.

"Did he say he was here? In Goldenrod?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, and I guess he's here with someone else," May said He couldn't explain over the PokeGear. He's down at the pier, how far is that from here?"

"It can't be too far," Brock said as he pulled out his map and unfolded it, "We had a view of the ocean from our room." He scanned the western side of the city and found the port, then drew an imaginary line to the Yamada. "It's only a couple of blocks. We can get there pretty quick if we head back the way we came." He folded the map back up and put in in his pocket. "Everybody stay close and hold hands. The city's in a panic and it's too easy to get lost. The girls have the middle, I'll lead. Mason and Ash on the outside."

Everyone nodded and grabbed hands, staying shoulder to shoulder. Mason kept his free hand down on Noone's head at all times as the group made their way down the street back the building they had just run from.

Back at the end of the pier, Max kept his eyes peeled for anything he might recognize. Now and again he would spot a pikachu and his heart would race, only to be let down a few moments later when it wasn't Ash's. Ritchie stood next to him and also kept lookout.

Further back Gary and Tyrel had taken a seat on the ground.

"This has to have been the oddest turn of events in my life," Tyrel said absent-mindedly. "And to think I wouldn't be here had I not been a few hours late getting into town. What a coincidence, huh?"

"I don't think so," Gary said. Tyrel looked over and Gary was smiling. "I've known Ash since we were just kids. From the moment I met him to now there's been something special about him. It seems like he has a way of meeting up with people and pokemon when he needs to. There's a reason for your being here, I don't doubt that at all." He looked to Tyrel and they both smiled.

"If you say so," Tyrel said. "I've gotta say, one way or another, it'll be nice to finally meet him after everything I've been told." Gary laughed and stood up, stretching his legs. Tyrel laid back and covered his eyes with his arm while Gary checked on Max and Ritchie.

"Any news?" He asked.

"Not since May called," Max answered, not pulling his eyes away from the blur of people in front of him. "She said she'd call again when they were close, though."

Gary looked out at the city. The chaos from the morning had turned into something a little more organized as police forces attempted to block off dangerous areas and route citizens through safer detours.

Tyrel peeked over to the three of them just in time as a very familiar scene unfolded; without warning Max broke into a full sprint directly into the scene of organized chaos in front of them. Gary and Ritchie took off after him only to be stopped constantly by passerbys that Max had miraculously avoided. Tyrel jumped up as fast as he could to tail everyone, not sure what would happen if he lost them.

A few hundred feet away, Brock had just emerged from behind a skyscraper holding May and Dawn's hands, keeping an eye peeled for the pier. They had just started to see water on the horizon and he knew they wouldn't be much longer before they reached the pier. With his eyes concentrated on the water so far away he didn't notice Max as he came flying through the crowd and latched onto Brock. After a moment, Brock knelt down and returned the hug.

The others watched and jumped slightly when the two collided, but shock quickly turned to excitement when they realized who it had been.

Max, on the other hand, was crying. He had held it in two nights before, not wanting to cry in front of a stranger, and it had done nothing but build this entire time. Feeling Brock's arms around him again after so long was the breaking point and, for a few moments, Max couldn't control his sobbing. The others around him grew concerned.

When Max finally pulled back and looked at Brock, Brock met him with the warmest smile he'd ever given. "Good to see you, pal."

Max sniffled a bit and smiled back, "It's great to see you." He looked up at May and without a moment of thought jumped to her, giving her the same hug she'd given Brock, then once more with Ash. "It's great to see all of you. You don't know how much I needed to see you all again. Everything's just been…"

"Hey," Ash cut him off, "We're here now. All of us. Everything's going to be alright, I promise." Exactly the words Max had been looking for. Just as he had thought, being with Ash was the perfect medicine.

"Thanks. You don't know how much that means to me," he said. "And speaking of 'all of us,' who's this?" Max asked, gesturing to Dawn and Mason.

"Both long stories," May said, "Dawn, Mason, meet my brother Max. Max, meet Dawn and Mason." Max shook both of their hands.

The introductions reminded Max of a very important detail he had suddenly forgotten. "Oh yeah!" He yelled, turning around. Just then, Ritchie and Gary came running up, panting.

"Kid," Gary wheezed, "you…have got to be…the luckiest…kid in…the world…"

"Gary? Ritchie?" For a moment Ash was shocked beyond words at the sudden re-appearance of two of his oldest rivals.

"How Max got here without running into someone - or something - I will never know," Gary said, having caught his breath. "Great to see you, Ash. I'd wish you a happy birthday, but it's a little late and circumstances are a little…odd."

"You'll never believe what we saw on the way here," Ritchie said.

Ash was about to ask for all of the details when a thought hit him. "Wait…how do you guys know Max?"

"Oh, he and Tyrel met up with Gary, who met me on the boat," Ritchie answered.

"So…who's Tyrel?" Ash's question struck the three of them as they shared the moment of sudden realization Max had experienced a few moments ago. As if on call, Tyrel appeared at the mention of his name.

"Ash, everybody, meet Tyrel," Max said, "He saved me from a Seviper two nights ago, and saved the ship from sinking into a whirlpool."

The others all gasped as Tyrel was about to protest the claims. Before he could say anything Noone shot out a flamethrower, surprising everyone. It squeezed right between Max and Gary, singing their clothes slightly, and disintegrated a net that had been fired. The group all turned to see Team Rocket, with Jessie's face red in fury.

"Do you know how it takes to load one of these things?" She yelled. James gave her a small bump with her elbow and she calmed down.

"Prepare for trouble!" She started.

"Make it double!"

As the two of them went on, Ash's mind began to wander. He realized that right here in front of him was nearly everybody who had been important in his life for the past 5 years of his pokemon journey, with a few new friendly faces. Paired with the happenings of the past few days, he suddenly began to feel that something very bad was going on somewhere.

As if to confirm Ash's thoughts, Max dropped to his knees, clutching at the ground. His face was pale and he was shaking.

"Max…" the familiar voice called to him, "Max…I'm here…I'm…we're here…" Max had never noticed it before, but he heard more than just Jirachi's voice when the two of them communicated, he heard the color that the voice was spoken in. Normally a bright pink, the voice coming to him now was dark, and it was consuming his mind. "Fighting…I don't want to…I can't stop…please…they're…they're going to…"

The color began fading from Max's mind, returning him to a normal state. As he regained consciousness he noticed the others kneeling in front of him, fanning him. Soon the sounds of the world began fading back into existence and he could hear them murmuring his name.

"Jirachi…" He muttered. May and Ash gasped at the mention of a name they hadn't heard in years.

Team Rocket was near to finishing their motto when they realized that nobody was listening. "Hey!" Jessie yelled, "It's been almost a full year since we've been able to do this properly! The least you could do is-"

Before she can finish Max stands straight up, turns around, and begins running once again. Without any second thoughts the group takes off in pursuit, clearing a path through the crowds as they go.

"Hey wait!" Meowth yells and makes a run for them, followed closely by Jessie and James.

Brock's finally able to catch up to Max and grabs his arms, bringing them both to a screeching halt. Max struggles to break free and continue running, though he's obviously exhausted.

"Let me go! I have to help him!" He yelled to Brock.

"Listen to me!" Brock yelled in response, "Whatever it is you need to do, we're only here to help, you know that. But with what's been happening around here, it's too dangerous to take off alone. We'll all go together."

Max struggled for a few more moments before reluctantly giving in. "Alright, but we need to hurry!" Brock nodded and the group began running once again, passing the town gate and running into the wilderness with Team Rocket close behind.

They continued their course for nearly an hour, taking a quick break to rest when Max nearly collapsed. Team Rocket had given up in their attempts for the moment and simply tagged along to see what was going on. Over the last hour rain clouds had begun gathering overhead and thunder could be heard in the distance.

"We're almost there…" Max said quietly, as if afraid of being caught. They were about to reach the top of a loud hill and the thunder had been getting extremely loud.

When they reached the top of the hill they stared down into the valley below. It was a large, open space that seemed to stretch for miles.

And that's when they discovered the source of the thunder they had been hearing.

* * *

**A/N: **Another cliffhanger. =P I would have kept going, but not without giving too much at a time, which would stink.

As always, I'd love to hear anything you have to say about it. =]


	13. Hell

**A/N:** Sorry is the first thing I would like to say. Once again I find myself updating over 2 weeks after my last update, and I hate myself for it, especially after promising the daily updates so many days ago. Really, I only hope you guys can forgive me for taking so long, and I want to thank everyone who continues to read, and those who have just recently joined me in this adventure. Here's your update guys, hope you enjoy it!

**P.S.** I didn't know I made so many mistakes last time! I hope it hasn't been like that the entire time! I'm so ashamed =[

* * *

Ash set foot on the top of the hill, out of reality, and into his worst nightmares. At least that's how it seemed. The world grew darker than anything he'd ever experienced, in ways he'd never felt before. Bright flashes could be seen all over the valley, each one accompanied with an explosion, what they had perceived as thunder earlier.

There in front of their eyes, Lugia and Palkia could be seen locked in an embrace as Palkia threw Lugia to the ground, following up with a hyper beam. Groudon summoned an earthquake, blasting Deoxys and Articuno away as the two attempted a double-team tactic. Celebi and Mew met head on, sending out psychic waves that indented the ground beneath them. Everywhere they looked, pokemon were waging war with one another, fighting with pure ferocity. They were fighting to the death.

As painful as it was to watch, it wasn't possible for them to look away from the captivating scene in front of them. They were all witnessing and feeling the darkness that Max had heard when Jirachi had spoken to him.

A gust of wind snapped them out of their daze as a glowing purple ball raced toward them and came to a near-instant stop. The glow faded and beneath it they saw Mewtwo's figure emerge. He slowly lowered himself closer to Ash, who felt better than he had ever felt in his life to see a face he knew amidst the darkness.

"Mewtwo!" He cried to the pokemon, "What's going on? Why are all of these pokemon fighting?"

Mewtwo simply continued lowering himself closer and closer. Once he was close enough to see his eyes, Ash noticed that they were pitch black. No shine whatsoever. Mewtwo held his hand out and prepared to fire off an attack. Mason and Noone jumped in front of the confused Ash, ready to intercept the attack.

Before Mewtwo can send the psywave out, the group feels a rumbling in the ground that knocks them to the ground as Rayquaza swoops out of the sky and constricts Mewtwo. Mewtwo is flung from Rayquaza's tail and straight into the ground a hundred yards away where Rayquaza follows with a hyper beam. Mewtwo emerges and deflects the beam, charging into Rayquaza. The two of them continue to brawl, oblivious to anything happening around them.

Ash dropped to his knees, his arms hanging at his side, feeling utterly useless. He had to stop what was happening, but he had no idea how, nor why it was happening.

Jessie caught a glimpse of something a short distance from where all of the action was taking place. She turned to see a group of people in hoodies moving a large metal crate.

"Hey, look!" She said and pointed toward the scene, "What do they think they're doing?" Everyone turned and saw what she was pointed toward. Brock recognized the outfits as soon as he saw the color.

"Isn't that team Aqua?" He yelled, "What are they doing all the way here in Johto?"

Ash, May and Max took a closer look and noticed the familiar outfits as well. As they watched, the crate was being moved behind a very thick brush. Just before the crate disappeared from view, two men emerged from behind it wearing black t-shirts with a red "R" displayed on the front.

Jessie, James and Meowth gasped. "Doze guys were Team Rocket members!" Meowth yelled.

"Yeah!" Jessie agreed, "What're they doing working with Team Aqua?"

Ash's blood began boiling when he realized that the scene they had witnessed was undoubtedly related to the gruesome fighting carrying out within shouting distance of them right now. "Well I'm not sitting around and waiting to find out! Let's go!"

Ash charges off down the hill, followed closely by Mason and Ritchie. The others stay atop the hill for a moment, contemplating calling after Ash, but decide to follow him. They know that his mind's set on finding out what was happening and there was no way they could stop him.

Ash was making a beeline for the brush that the crate had disappeared behind while Mason and Ritchie did their best to keep up with him. Not far off in the distance the roaring and explosions continued to shake the world around them as the legendary pokemon battled one another. As the brush approached, Ash lowered his head, ready to charge through it and take on anything he met.

He shoved his way through the thick branches and emerged on the other side with his hands balled into fists. He dropped his guard and stared blankly ahead. There was nothing on the other side of the brush but empty space. Mason and Ritchie came running around the side of the brush and stared as well.

"Where'd they go?" Ritchie asked, "There's nowhere they could have taken off to that we wouldn't have seen."

As the rest of the group caught up to find the space empty, Ash dropped to his knees and slammed his fists against the ground. "They were **right here**!"

"Calm down, Ash," Gary said, "let's look for any clues as to where they went." He knelt to the ground and examined the markings. Whatever they were moving was heavy as it had carved four lines in the grass where the wheels were. Everywhere else the grass had been flattened by everybody standing on it. He looked toward where the tracks led and noticed that they stopped abruptly, as well as the footprints. "Look there," he said and pointed, "the grass is undisturbed over there. The footsteps and tracks stop in a perfect line."

Ash looked and saw what Gary was talking about. "Like an imaginary line they couldn't cross…but what does that mean?"

"I'm not sure," Gary said. "But-"

Before he can continue, the ground they are standing on begins buzzing as they hear a low hum. After a few seconds the world around them begins to rise slowly. It took them a moment to realize that the world wasn't rising, they were being lowered down. The area they had been standing on was now dropping into the earth with them on it. They all stood at the ready, prepared for what might meet them when the platform stopped.

* * *

All over the world natural disasters were raging, and Pallet Town was no exception. Delia had taken refuge with Tracey and Professor Oak in Oak's lab as a lightning storm ravaged the town.

The skies had grown darker than they had ever been, even though it hadn't yet reached noon. To top it all off the power had gone out all around town, leaving only those lucky enough to have a backup generator with electric lighting. Oak had more than one, seeing as his lab operated on a quite a bit of power when things were busy.

The news reports had said that all major forms of transportation had been grounded indefinitely until the freak disasters ceased. This included the magnet train that Ash and company were supposed to be arriving on, which left Delia more than worried about her son's safety. She hadn't stopped fidgeting since hearing the news.

"Calm down Delia, please," Oak said as he offered her a cup of tea, "you're starting to worry me. Ash can handle himself, and he's not alone. Brock's a doctor-in-training, and the others are all perfectly capable of handling themselves as well."

Delia took the tea and gave it a small sip. She hadn't expected it to be as calming as it was, and she felt her muscles give in a little and relax. "Thank you, Professor. I know that if anybody can take care of himself, it's Ash, but still…" She peered out the window where the sky was constantly flashing from all of the lightning. "Something's not right, and he's stuck out there. I can't help but be worried for him."

Tracey emerged from the kitchen carrying a platter with three bowls of noodle soup. The three of them sat and ate silently for a few minutes. Delia's eyes began to glisten just a little as tears began forming. The professor noticed and offered her a tissue.

"If it would make you feel any better, I can pull up his position on our tracking computer and we can see where he's at," the professor offered.

"Huh? You can do that?" Delia said.

"Yes," Oak replied, "every one of the pokedex's we hand out is fitted with a chip that allows us to pinpoint its location. We only use it in case of emergencies, of course, but it's a safety precaution implemented for the security of new trainers. They **are **only ten when they set out on their journeys, after all."

Delia's face beamed for a moment, though her thoughts soon turned negative as ideas of where Ash might be began racing through her mind, not all of them being good. She nodded and followed the professor into a large room. He sat in front of one of the computers and dusted the screen off. It had been a long time since they had used it.

The three of them anxiously sat and waited as the computer booted up. After a few minutes a box appeared on the screen, prompting the user to input information. Oak typed in Ash's full name and hit enter.

They looked at the screen for a moment and saw a map of the Johto region. A yellow dot began flashing. They leaned in to examine the location.

"Where there's Goldenrod…" Oak said, putting his finger to the screen. He dragged it across the screen to the dot. "And there's Ash. Wait a minute…what's he doing in the middle of nowhere?"

"And in a time like this!" Delia yelled, clutching the back of the chair the professor was sitting in. "I can't just sit around here, I need to go find them and bring them home!" She took off out of the room and toward the front door.

"Delia wait!" Oak yelled and chased after her. "How do you expect to reach him? Every major form of transportation has been shut down, you saw for yourself."

"I'll walk if I have to," Delia said as she grabbed her coat.

"Eh, just wait, please," Oak said, grabbing her shoulder. "At least wait until the storm eases up and then we can take my private chopper. I'll call up my pilot and see if he can make his way here."

Delia was against the idea of waiting at all, but knew the professor was right. "Okay, then. Thank you."

Professor Oak nodded and smiled. In all reality he was just as worried as Delia was. He knew that whatever was happening it was much bigger than anything they had ever seen before, and was almost positive that Ash was going to find the source of it. He only hoped that Ash could come through just as he had so many times in the past.

**

* * *

**

As the platform came to a rest far underground, Ash and everyone else found themselves staring down a bright and long hallway. They stepped off of the platform, wary and cautious of their surroundings, as if the walls themselves would jump out and attack them at any moment. James was the last one on the platform, and as soon as he lifted his foot off it began to rise again. He turned around just a moment too late to see it rise out of reach, leaving them trapped.

"Should have seen that coming," Brock said.

"Let's just keep moving," Ash suggested, "we'll find whoever's at the bottom of this and get some answers."

The hallway was much longer than it had originally seemed. There was no end to it as far as anyone could see. On each side doors were staggered in increments of about 15 feet. They checked the first few they came upon only to find that each was locked. With no way back to the surface and no exit in sight, they had no choice but to continue moving forward.

May, Dawn and Misty huddled close together for comfort. Even with the hallway lit up as bright as it was, there was a very eerie feel to it, most likely from the emptiness it held. Mason made sure to keep his sights on Noone at all times, convinced that a trap would be sprung at any moment, attempting to capture all of their pokemon. Brock, Gary, and Ritchie walked behind the girls, keeping on their toes the entire time. Max stayed between Brock and Ritchie, finding comfort in the presence of both of them at his sides. Behind everyone Team Rocket trudged along, not completely unaware of how awkward it was that they were here with the same kids they had chased for years attempting to steal their pokemon.

Ash, however, was completely oblivious to everyone else. Blinded by anger and fueled by rage, all he wanted was to stop whoever it was that was causing all of this trouble and make sure they got their just desserts.

As they continued to walk, they're caught by surprise when one of the many doors in the hallway opens itself, inviting them in. They all simply stare at it for a few moments, waiting for anything to happen. Ash makes up his mind and stomps his way in, despite protests from Brock and Gary, and everyone is quick to follow him. In the room they see a wide assortment of electronics spanning the length of the walls and a large screen on the furthest wall. As soon as James (once again the last to enter) steps foot inside the room, the door slides shut behind him and locks itself.

Just as Brock is about to suggest looking for another way out, the screen across the room turns on, prompting everyone to gather around it. The view on the screen looks like that of a security camera. They can see a small group of Team Aqua members standing around, doing nothing of importance. A light shines on them and they jump to their feet and run toward it. They appear again a moment later, pulling on large ropes. After some struggling the thing they were pulling comes into view of the camera: A large cage containing Kyogre. Aqua members all around are splashing water on the large pokemon as the ones pulling the ropes prepare to transfer it onto a ship of some sort. The pokemon looks as though it had been through a series of hurricanes.

"Hey! It's that kyogre!" Max yells.

"Wait, you mean you've seen it before?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," Ritchie answered, "on the ferry. Kyogre and Lugia were the ones causing all of the whirlpools and cyclones, and then they started fighting. Last we saw them they were headed for Johto."

"You mean headed for a trap," Ash muttered through clenched teeth. In all of his dealings with wrong-doers, he had never seen such neglect for a pokemon, let alone a legendary. He balled up a fist and slammed it into the screen, causing it to turn to static.

As soon as the images on the screen stopped, a section of the wall that had previously seemed empty slid open, revealing yet another room. With no other choice, everyone stepped into the newly revealed room, the hidden door closing just like the first one after everyone was inside. Brock knew what was happening, though he also knew there was almost nothing they could do about it.

The room they were in was almost identical to the last room. The only difference was that the wall furthest from the screen was completely empty. The group gathered around the screen and waited for it to turn on. When it did, it was split into a dozen sections, each one showing a news clip from a different part of the world. All of them were focused on some sort of seemingly natural disaster ravaging a city or town. The numbers of missing and injured people continued to rise with each passing minute.

"What is this?" Ash asked.

"It's someone's ego," Brock replied. "we're seeing exactly what they want us to see. They're proud of everything that's happening." He could feel his own anger start to build, but knew he had to keep a cool head, even if Ash wasn't. "They're also guiding us- no, they're **herding** us. We're going exactly where they want us to, and I have a feeling it's not going to be anywhere pleasant."

On queue, the wall across the room began sliding open slowly. Everybody lifted their arms to shield their eyes from a bright light shining through the door. After some hesitation, they all stepped into the bright room. Unfortunately, this would be the last room one of them ever sees.

* * *

**A/N**: So there you have it! I hate to do it, but a wake-up call is in order, and there's no other way. I'll leave it to you guys to try and figure out who. Just know that I had a very hard time deciding, I'm in love with each of the characters, the canons and my OC's, and to see one of them go (let alone write it!) is going to be devastating. As always, feel free to leave a review. Any constructive criticism is welcome. =]


	14. A Tearful Goodbye

**A/N: **So here's the chapter I've been dreading writing, and I almost want to just not post it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry like a baby just thinking about writing this scene.

However, I do want to finish the story, and I hope you're all enjoying it. So without further ado:

* * *

It took a second for their eyes to adjust to the bright lights all around the new room they had stepped into. It was vastly larger than the last two they had been in. It was a round room with the ceiling a daunting hundred feet above their heads. It was another bland room with very little to it, apart from the raised platforms on the other side. It took a moment for the people standing on them to come into focus.

"It's da boss!" Meowth yelled.

"Shhh!" Jessie wrapped her arm around his mouth, "maybe he won't notice us. We've still got a debt to pay, remember?"

The others had identified the men standing with Giovanni as well. Every one of the men on the platforms was the head of one of the largest crime organizations in the world, terrorizing every region from Hoenn to Sinnoh.

"Welcome, children," Giovanni said, taking a seat, "I must say, I'm very impressed with your deductions, Brock."

"How do you know my name?" Brock asked.

"I know almost everything about you. And your family. And everyone else's too. Well, except for the two tagalongs that accompanied you. The lot of you have caused me and my associates quite a bit of trouble in the past."

"What have you done, Giovanni?" Ash demanded, "Why are all of the pokemon fighting?"

"Now now," he said calmly, "let's not get ahead of ourselves. All in due time. How about we start at the beginning?" He settled back in his seat and began the speech he had so eagerly waited to give.

"Do you children remember the city of Alto Mare? The home of Latios and Latias?"

Ash, Brock and Misty nodded while Max, Ritchie, Gary and Tyrel gasped. "That's the town that got destroyed just yesterday!" Max yelled.

"What?" Ash yelled, "What do you mean destroyed?"

"Well," Giovanni started, drawing the attention back to himself, "it's missing a very important little gem that kept the town alive. Without it, I'm afraid it was all too easy for nature to reclaim its property." He chuckled.

"You mean you stole the Soul Dew? Why would you do that?" The anger building in Ash was rising higher than he had ever felt before.

"You're getting ahead of the story again. The city of Alto Mare housed a very special machine, known as the Defense Mechanism. I believe you've had a run-in with it before as two former Team Rocket members failed to utilize it correctly. While it was all too easy to locate the blueprints for the machine, there was no alternative for a power source."

"So we gave a few old friends a visit," Archie said. "Professor Hale's research on the unown revealed that the dimension in which they resided housed immense amounts of unrefined energy just waiting to be harnessed. It was all too easy to convince the good professor to show us where he kept everything. Though we still needed a way to tap into this energy."

"After finding his technology, we put an old failure to work," Maxie spoke up, "Butler's technology was able to harness the stored energy in Jirachi's body to open a window into another dimension. The worthless pokemon almost gave out before we were finished." Max gritted his teeth as his knuckles turned white.

"Only one piece of the puzzle remained," Cyrus said, the last to speak, "funneling the energy of the unown through the Soul Dew. We recovered some old technology used by Mewtwo to process immense amounts of data as he cloned pokemon. Insert tab A into slot B, and voila."

Suddenly the platforms in front of them began to spread apart, revealing a giant machine behind them, with Giovanni in some sort of pod.

"We call it Ultima," Giovanni said proudly. "With it, I can control the very world around me."

Jessie, James and Meowth had snuck into a small cubby created by a space between some of the electronics. They watched and listened as their boss began waving his hands around and the room all around them began moving. Wires were stripped from walls, screens thrown to the floor, none of it with any set pattern.

The group raised their hands above their heads instinctivey and braced themselves. When the noises stopped they turned back to see the four men in front of them laughing.

"Why are you doing this?" Ash screamed, "What do those innocent pokemon have to do with any of this?"

"You idiot, we've already caught Kyogre!" Archie said with a smirk. "It's only a matter of-"

"What? You mean you let him capture Kyogre?" Maxie asked Giovanni. "What's the meaning of this?"

"You're both idiots," Cyrus said, "with this technology we can create an entirely new world. One where we will rule undisputed. Your petty ancient pokemon will no longer exist." The three of them continued to bicker at one another. Giovanni's face turned into a scowl.

"Allow me to demonstrate my new powers," Giovanni offered. With a simple flick of his wrist, the platforms below Maxie, Archie and Cyrus's feet transformed and locked them in place. A split second later the platforms rose and transformed into cages around them, sealing them in place.

"You traitor! I should have known!" Maxie yelled as he pounded his fist against his cage.

"Did you really think I would share my victory with anyone whose goals were so provincial?" Giovanni chuckled. "You're all so short-sighted, though very resourceful. Allow me to extend my thanks; without you three, I wouldn't be sealing you away right now." He laughed as the three cages were lowered to the ground and moved through a new opening in the wall that closed shut as soon as they were all gone.

"How can anybody be so cold?" Jessie asked under her breath, not wanting to bring any attention over to the three of them. They were afraid no longer of the debts they had incurred over the years, but instead simply of Giovanni himself and what his impulses might cause him to do.

"Think of what da boss could do with dat machine," Meowth said.

"I'm not sure I want to…" James muttered. The three of them continued to look on as Giovanni continued laughing and Ash's anger continued to rise.

Across the room from Giovanni, Ash's fists had been clenched shut for the entire conversation and were starting to become sore, though he barely noticed. Everything good in his life, everything that he had ever fought for, the ideals he would willingly give his life to protect, this man was spitting on them.

"You've got to stop it!" Ash yelled, "Can't you see what you're doing to the pokemon? To the entire world? It's not right!"

"'Right' is what I make it from now on," Giovanni replied calmly, "With the power at my control, the entire world will be forced to do what I say is 'right.' I can-"

"You can't just force people to change their ideals!" Ash yelled, cutting Giovanni off. The rest of the group was beginning to grow concerned with how Ash was acting. They were all angry, but in no position to challenge Giovanni.

"I can and I will," Giovanni replied, growing impatient, "either that or they die. It's as simple as that."

"You can't get away with this!" Ash continued to raise his voice at Giovanni, "Even if I have to stop you myself, you'll pay for what you've done!"

Mason and Tyrel, all of this being very new to them, kept their eyes on Giovanni and noticed his face growing more and more annoyed. They also noticed that the last outburst from Ash seemed to be the breaking point for Giovanni, as did the others.

"Obviously my earlier demonstrations weren't enough for you, brat. Allow me to make it as clear as I possibly can."

Before anybody could warn Ash to back down, Giovanni waved one of his hands and a large piece of shrapnel came flying off of one of the walls headed directly for Ash. As the anger built up inside of him fled to make way for panic and surprise, Ash was left frozen in place by terror as his end rushed to meet him. Helpless to do anything, the others watched in suspense or turned away in horror. All but one of them, that is, who happened to be standing directly next to Ash.

At the last moment, Ritchie shoved Sparky away and shoulder-checked Ash to the ground, taking his place. The shrapnel met him with immense force, much more than he had anticipated, and threw him to the floor 10 feet back from where he was standing. The room was silent and still.

**

* * *

**

Within seconds Brock had rushed to Ritchie's side, releasing Chansey as he did so. Ash, Max and Misty were quick to follow, with the others gathering around. Tears were already starting to form in their eyes.

Ash started scrambling, "Brock, get some alcohol and any painkillers you can, we need to-"

"Don't worry," Ritchie said quietly, "it really doesn't hurt." This told Brock everything he needed to know, and he knew Ritchie was aware of it too.

"Listen," Ash started, "we're going to get you patched up and get you to a Pokemon Center right away, I promise."

Ritchie managed a smile and a small chuckle, "I don't-" he strained a bit, "I don't think I'm going to be able to give you that rematch I promised you."

Tears had begun to fall from Misty's face as she turned away to stifle a whimper. Ash's eyes were glistening as tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes as well.

"No…No!" Ash said, "We can get you out of here. Brock's a doctor, and he can-"

Brock put a hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash turned and looked at him to see him shake his head. Ash's hopes disappeared and he couldn't hold back the tears anymore, letting them slowly drip down his cheeks as he began sobbing.

Ritchie reached down and unclipped his pokeball belt and pulled it off. He took a single pokeball from it and held it up to Ash. "Promise…promise me they find good homes. Okay?"

Ash took the belt, managing a small "nn-hh" through the sobbing. Misty had buried her face into Brock's shoulder. Brock himself had felt tears beginning to trickle down to his chin.

"Max…" Ritchie beckoned weakly, "here." He held up the pokeball he had taken from the belt before he gave it to Ash. "I want you to have this…"

Max took the pokeball and looked at it. He saw a sticker of a lightning bolt pasted on the top of it. Like Ash before him, he couldn't hold in his grief anymore and began sobbing. "I don-don't understand."

"I want you to take care of Sparky for me," Ritchie said, the smile never leaving his face, "You're going to be an amazing trainer someday…" He paused and closed his eyes, smiling at the memories of his life, "and I would be honored if Sparky was your first pokemon." Sparky had made his way next to Pikachu, and when he heard this he couldn't help but bury his face into Ritchie's side, as if pleading for him to stay.

"But…how do you know? What if I'm not good enough to train Sparky?" Max asked through the sobs, not aware he was only trying to delay Ritchie's departure.

Ritchie continued smiling and chuckled. "You know…I asked myself that same thing…when I got my first pokemon…" Max continued to cry, but was as grateful as he had ever been at the encouragement Ritchie gave him. He looked back down to the pokeball, then closed his fist around it, protecting it.

"Sparky," Ritchie called, turning his head to see his pokemon. He gathered every bit of strength he could and lifted Sparky up, placing him on his chest. "I want to thank you…for everything. You've always been a…true friend. I wish that we could spend our lives together, but I don't think I'm going to be around for much longer." Everyone felt a sharp pain in their heart as they heard Ritchie say the horrible truth for what it was. "Max is going to take care of you now. It would mean a lot to me…if you would be as wonderful for him…as you've been for me."

"Pikaaa..." Tears had been flowing down Sparky's cheeks and onto Ritchie's chest as he nodded at everything his friend requested.

"I want you to know that…you've made my life as great as it's been. Thanks to you…even now, I can say that I'm…happy. I couldn't have asked for a better friend, and I promise to check in on you now and again."

The smile began to fade from Ritchie's face as a tear fell from his eye. "I'll miss you. I love you…"

And with those parting words, Ritchie let out his final breath, and was gone.

Dawn and May grabbed hold of one another, hugging each other fiercely and sobbing. Ash grasped at the ground beneath him, tears falling onto his hands. Brock turned and rubbed Misty's back for reassurance. Mason, Tyrel and Gary felt the tears start to form in their eyes as well.

Further back James, Jessie and Meowth had leapt out from their nook in the wall when they saw the shrapnel collide with Ritchie. They had sat in complete disbelief, watching as his friends tried to console him. When everybody turned to grab hold of one another, they knew that the boy had passed.

"He…he was just a kid…" Jessie said.

"Yeah…" Meowth and James both agreed. The entire thing had happened so fast, and, paired with the events of the past two days, they almost didn't believe it had happened.

The reality of everything finally sunk in with James. He grabbed the insignia stitched to his shirt and yanked, ripping it off. The other two looked at him blankly.

"I joined Team Rocket because I wanted to live life for myself. To make my own choices, far from the pampered life I had once lived. We chased kids around and plotted countless schemes that ended in failure. We spent the majority of our time hungry for a good meal and envious of those who had things we didn't. We've endured the blistering cold and unbearable heat. Through it all, though, I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed the time I spent with the two of you, and the twerps, and the adventures we had.

"But this is unforgivable. This is not what I joined Team Rocket for, and it's not something I'm going to stand for."

Jessie and Meowth continued to stare. James had never been so assertive before. But they knew he was right. Jessie grabbed the large "R" on her chest and ripped it off. Meowth looked up to her and nodded.

As the three of them watched, Ritchie's friends continued to hold each other, each one of them unwilling to accept the truth, yet forced to believe it. One of their own, a great trainer and wonderful friend, was gone.

Sitting atop his machine, Giovanni scoffed at the sight of the children crying, then took a moment to enjoy what he had done, allowing a smile to creep across his face. Ash, remembering what it was that had happened and who had done it, shot to his feet and whipped around, facing Giovanni.

"You monster! How could you just kill him like that! He was just a kid!" Ash yelled in a whiny voice, still sobbing over the loss of his friend.

"I admit it was unfortunate," Giovanni said, the smile on his face widening, "but only because I had aimed for you. In fact, had you not simply stood in place like a fool, I would have missed you both completely."

Ash took a step back, hit by the sudden truth that Giovanni had revealed.

"Th-that's not true!" Ash yelled.

"Oh isn't it?" Giovanni barely let Ash finishing for shooting his question at him, "I think you know otherwise. I told you what I was capable of and you wouldn't stop pestering me. You were the one meant to die here, and thanks to you, it was a dear friend who died in your place."

Ash wanted more than anything to reply, to say that it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't find the words to do it. Instead the tears continued to flow down his cheeks as he backed away, defeated.

"Now if you'll all excuse me, I've some business to attend to." Ultima began shifting around as Giovanni waved his hand. The entire facility began rumbling as the ceiling far above them slid open from the middle. The entire floor began raising up at an alarming rate, bringing everyone standing to their knees from the sheer momentum. Specks of rain began pelting them all as the rain slipped through the opening in the ceiling. Within seconds the world on the surface reappeared. The legendary pokemon that had been battling earlier had apparently moved on, save for Moltres, which laid lifeless on the ground in the distance.

Giovanni directed Ultima away from the battle scene, leaving Ash and everybody else helpless in the rain.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm sorry guys. I'm not going to say why I chose Ritchie. If you really want to know you can send me a message.

I will say, however, that I'm going to start implementing the music that helps me write these scenes. Not all of them are music driven, though most are. This tragedy was insipred by Gary Jules' cover of Mad World. Feel free to look it up and listen to it. The way I had it, I would listen to the first half with the lyrics, and the second half as an instrumental only, then lyrics with the final chorus. I know it sounds odd, but it worked for me. Also, for any who care, the dance scene between Mason and May was inspired by The Parlotones - Stars Fall Down.

Another thing I hate to report; you can obviously see that the story has taken a bit of a dark turn. It's going to be this way for at least one more chapter, maybe more. I know it was very upbeat earlier on, and I intend to return to that state eventually, but for now things need to be real. I really hope you guys don't mind. Again, I'm sorry. I hate myself for writing this chapter. ='[


	15. A Long Night

**A/N: **Welcome (back) guys! It's been another long while since I've updated, but I've put a lot of heart into these next bits. I find the story to be evolving as I write it, and I can only hope that's a good thing. As I said, things were going to be a little dark for a while, but I didn't want to give you guys nothing but bad news, so I actually combined quite a bit into this one chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it.

As I said before, I'll also be sharing the music with you guys that helps me to write these scenes. If you would like to feel these scenes the way that I feel them, I would really advise that you at least give them a listen. After all, it's where this story is really coming from. =]

**From the start of the chapter to Gary's speech:** Gary Jules, "Mad World" (continued from the last chapter). All of the lyrics from the first verse describe perfectly what Ash is feeling. The instrumentation from the second verse is the music that would be playing in the background.

**Misty's talk with Ash: **Blue October, "Picking up Pieces." Although I'm pretty sure this song is about talking with God, just listen to the lyrics and imagine Misty's feelings as she tries to tell Ash how she feels.

**Mason and May's second dance: **The Glee Cast, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." I've always loved the original from _Dirty Dancing_, and still do, but the version of the song that was performed on Glee was perfect for the scene. From the start of this fic, I've always regarded this song as the perfect song for the two of them, lyrics and all.**  


* * *

**The rain was coming down harder and harder as the sky grew darker. It was as if the world was trying to reflect what Ash felt. He and everyone else found themselves in the middle of a giant empty field that had recently been the scene of a gruesome battle. Though the rain was discomforting, none of them cared. Not after what they had just witnessed. Ritchie's body lying only a few feet away did too much to remind them.

Jessie, James and Meowth approached slowly and carefully, not wanting to gather too much attention at a moment like this. Until only a few moments ago they had been affiliated with the man who had turned the entire world into a madhouse. Gary noticed them, though he knew they had no ill-intent and simply nodded at them.

Mason and Noone walked over to where Ash was sitting. Mason knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder. Azurill hopped out of Misty's lap and waddled over to him, nuzzling his leg. Mason stood up, picking him up as he went. He tugged on his ear a little, making him hum. It was enough to get a small smile out of Mason. He put Azurill back down and he waddled back to Misty and took a seat next to her.

There were no words to be spoken right now. As urgent as the need to stop Giovanni seemed, this was the time for silence and stillness. And so it was for the next few minutes. Nobody said a word as tears were shed from every eye.

Noone's ears began twitching after a while, followed by Azurill's and Pikachu's. They all looked up toward the hill they had come from. Not long after everybody heard a steady chopping sound growing louder and louder. Everyone but Ash stood and faced the hill, preparing themselves for what might be coming.

Professor Oak's helicopter appeared over the hill moments later, much to everyone's delight. It was only then that any of them noticed how heavy the rain was becoming.

The pilot landed the helicopter as close as he could to the group. The doors flew open and Tracey, Professor Oak and Delia emerged and raced toward the others, who had already begun making their way over.

"Brock! Misty! Everyone!" Tracey yelled, glad to see everyone was doing well.

"It's good to see you're all safe," Professor Oak yelled over the rain, "but what are you doing out here?"

"I think maybe we should wait until we're all dried off and somewhere a bit quieter," Brock yelled back.

"Oh yes, of course," Oak said, "Let's-"

"Where's Ash?" Delia yelled, interrupting him.

"He's…over there…" Misty said, feeling pain and mourning rush back in to replace the relief she had felt when the chopper arrived.

Delia began running toward Ash and stopped, covering her gaping mouth with both hands. Tracey and Professor Oak quickly made their way over to investigate before sharing the same sight with Delia. Ash and Sparky were still knelt next to Ritchie's body.

"What…what happened…" Tracey asked.

"I…I couldn't…I didn't…" Ash was muttering under his breath, barely audible over the rain.

"Ash, we need to go…" Professor Oak said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't leave him. Not like this." Ash said, looking up to the professor.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it. Please, you're soaking wet. Go with the others in the helicopter."

"No. I'll help move him." Ash demanded. Not wanting to prolong the time spent outside, Oak simply sighed in agreement. He ran back to the helicopter and opened a compartment on the side, pulling out a tarp. He, Tracey and Ash covered Ritchie's body and carried it to the cargo bay. It seemed so wrong, almost like they were storing him, but they had no choice.

When they had finished and everybody had strapped in, the helicopter took off, headed for Kanto. The ride home was silent.

**

* * *

**

Ash had insisted on burying Ritchie as soon as they arrived in Pallet. Professor Oak was more than willing to clear a section of the land behind his lab for the burial site, but was against digging it in such dreadful weather. Ash, however, was not going to listen to any reasoning, so instead of argue with him, all of the boys accompanied him to help dig. Ritchie had been buried, a temporary headstone placed atop the grave, and everyone had dried off and changed into dry clothes (borrowing what they could from the extras around Oak's lab).

When all was said and done, they all gathered in the kitchen. The silence continued, though now only because nobody was sure of what to say. The rain outside continued to pour and the few T.V. stations still on the air had nothing good to report, so they had turned it off.

"Listen…" Brock spoke up, relieving everybody of the silence, "I know…I know we just lost somebody, a friend. But we're the only ones who know what Giovanni is up to, and-"

"There's nothing we can do," Ash said from his seat, not looking up. "It's too late."

"...Maybe not," James said, "maybe we can get some information from those guys. What were their names? If they're still there, I-"

"Shut up," Ash said coldly, "you three are the last three I want to hear anything from."

"Look, kid-I mean Ash," Jessie started, sincerely, "we would never stand for something…something like what Giovanni did. We were just-"

"Just what?" Ash interjected, whipping his head over to see her, "Trying to steal our pokemon. And what then? Did you think he was just going to say 'good job, here's a medal' and let them go?"

"Well, no, but-"

"We're talking about Pikachu. My best friend. We've already seen what Giovanni is willing to do to a human, a **boy**, and **you** were going to give him Pikachu."

Jessie looked toward the ground. He was right, after all. They had never thought about it in that sense before, but their plans were much worse than they had thought.

"Ash, I think we know them better than that…" Misty said.

"What does it matter," Ash asked, slumping back into his chair. "He's gone, and it's my fault."

"It's not your fault," Brock said, "There was nothing you could have done."

"I was an idiot," Ash continued, ignoring Brock, "if I had just kept my mouth shut, or even just stepped out of the way." Everyone around was growing more and more concerned with every passing comment. "What does it matter anyway? The world's doomed. It's hopeless."

Having heard enough, Gary stepped forward. He stood directly in front of Ash until he looked up. The second he did, Gary leaned forward and punched him in the face. Everyone jumped when they saw it happen and Ash fell to the floor.

"Why'd you do that?" Ash yelled, climbing to his feet ready for a fight. Mason and Tracey held him back.

"What's the matter with you?" Gary asked, "We've known each other since we were kids, and you've **never** backed down from **anything**, no matter what. Ash Ketchum was going to be the very best, like no one ever was."

Ash continued to snarl at him, though he had backed down.

"Now I was there tonight, don't you forget, and I saw what happened. An evil man did an evil thing and your best friend saved your life by giving his. Now you're going to sit here and say to everyone that 'it's hopeless?' Ritchie gave his life because he knew that if there was anybody who could come through, it's you, Ash. I'm not going to sit by and let you take the blame for a sinister act, and I'm not going to let Ritchie's death be in vain." He held up his hand for Ash to take. "Are you?"

It took a moment for Ash to process everything that Gary had just said. It had been a long time since Gary had pushed him around at all, but in an odd way, it felt just like home, and was exactly what he needed. He grasped Gary's hand. "No. I'm not. Thanks, Gary." Gary smiled at him.

Ash turned to James and Jessie. "I'm sorry about what I said. I know you guys are better than him."

"Don't worry about it, kid," Jessie replied, "it's all in the past."

"Now," Brock said, "we need to figure out where Giovanni's going and what he's planning."

"Good idea," Ash said, "and I think James-"

"Hold on, Ash Ketchum," Delia said, "I understand what the circumstances are like, but we're all still human, and you've all had a long day. I suggest you all get some rest before anything is decided."

"I am pretty tired," Dawn said as she started to feel the bags under her eyes. It was hard to imagine that just that morning they had eaten breakfast at the Yamada in Goldenrod City.

"We've got plenty of rooms here, so you three are welcome to stay too," Tracey said to Jessie, James and Meowth. They all nodded in agreement.

"Well, Tracey, if you don't mind showing everyone to their rooms, I'll tend to the pokemon and check on the generators," Oak said.

"You got it, professor."

Delia went with the professor as he left the room. "Why does it always have to be Ash who gets involved with these things," she asked rhetorically.

"I understand how you feel, Delia," Professor Oak reassured her, "but I think we both know that, for whatever reasons there may be, Ash may be the only one who can stop whatever it is that's happening."

Delia didn't answer. Instead she pulled back the curtains on one of the windows to see outside. The rain was still going strong and the night was going to be a long one.

**

* * *

**

Tracey found one of the larger rooms and set it up for Jessie, James and Meowth. "Here, this should do just fine."

"Thanks," Jessie said, "we really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Tracey said with a smile. He left the room, closing the door behind him. The three of them stood in silence for a few seconds.

"You know, I can't stop thinking about what that kid said to me," Jessie said.

"Which one?" Meowth asked.

"Ash. What he said about us stealing Pikachu and the other pokemon. Did we ever **really** think about what the boss would do when he got a hold of them?"

"I…I guess not," James said, hanging his head.

"I guess we was bein' pretty selfish," Meowth added.

"It's all in the past now," Tracey said, surprising them. They hadn't noticed him enter the room again after fetching some pillows from storage. "Besides, you guys would've never gotten your hands on our pokemon anyway." The three of them laughed.

"We sure did try though!" James added, coaxing more laughter from the room.

"Look, we're here now," Tracey said, "You guys have shown your true nature more than once in the past, and I think it's here to stay now. We've all been through a lot together, and, in a way, you guys are a lot like family. Let's let bygones be bygones."

Jessie, James and Meowth just stared blankly as Tracey left the room again, leaving the pillows on one of the bunks. When they were sure he was gone, they huddled close together, smiling, giddy as could be.

"Did you hear what he said?" James asked

"He called us family!" Jessie replied.

"We ain't never been no one's family before," Meowth said, beginning to tear up.

"Well I say we honor the friendship they've placed in us," James said, "We'll help them in any way we can, and we'll bring Giovanni down!"

The three of them put their hands in the center of the circle they had made, sealing the newly-made pact.

* * *

Further on down the hall, Tracey continued his rounds, making sure everybody had what they needed for the night. As he was walking down the hall, Brock emerged from his room on his way to the kitchen.

"Hey Brock," Tracey called out to him, "where you headed?"

"Gonna get a bite to eat. I haven't eaten since this morning," Brock said, grabbing his belly, "Why, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if you had a moment to talk."

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

Tracey caught up to him and the two of them walked toward the kitchen at a slow pace. "I really hate to ask, but I just have to know…what…what happened today? I mean, how…how did everything go so wrong?"

Brock stopped walking, prompting Tracey to as well. He took a few moments to consider what Tracey had asked. Until now he hadn't questioned it himself because things had just happened so fast. "I don't really know, Tracey," he said honestly, "I know that a madman is in control of a machine that can single-handedly cripple the world with nothing but mere thoughts. I know that for no reason at all, he used that machine and took the life of an innocent boy." He stood silent for a moment. "I have a feeling that this is far from over, and today was only a sample of what's to come. However, I know that no matter what, we're going to stop him."

Tracey stood listening, Brock's words weighing heavily on him. "You're right. We've done it before, we can do it again."

Brock smirked, "Yeah. Now whaddya say we get some grub?"

"Sounds great," Tracey said, and the two of them continued on for the kitchen. They were surprised to see Gary, Max and Tyrel sitting around the table, eating and laughing. Sparky was in Max's lap munching on some food.

"Hey guys," Brock called out.

"Oh, hey Brock!" Max yelled, waving one of his hands. Sparky looked up from his food and gave a "Pika!"

Brock knelt down next to Max, petting Sparky as he did so. "Do you like the food?" He asked, "I made it myself, you know." Sparky hummed happily, not looking up from the meal in front of him.

"Brock?" Max said.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering…I-I've never owned a pokemon before, and I…I promised Ritchie I'd take care of Sparky," Max's voice started breaking. It hurt to think about everything that had happened, and he could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

Brock smiled and put a hand on Max's shoulder, "Hey, Ritchie wasn't lying, you know. You're going to be a great pokemon trainer, even if you don't feel like one right now." Max looked up at him, the glisten in his eyes starting to disappear. "And whenever you need help, I'll be right here to help you. Promise."

"Yeah…you're right!" Max said, looking down to Sparky, who had finished his food and curled up for a nap. The two of them laughed at the sight.

Tyrel finished his food and got up to throw away the paper plate he had used.

"Oh hey! We didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves," Tracey called from the sink where he was cleaning the last of the dishes. He dried his hands off and approached Tyrel. "I'm Tracey."

"Tyrel, nice to meet you," Tyrel said, regarding Tracey with a bit of envy. "Do you…live here? With Professor Oak?"

"Yup," Tracey said proudly, "After traveling with Ash through the Orange Islands I decided to stay here as Professor Oak's assistant. Together we keep everything running in top shape."

"Wow, that would be great. Think of all the things you could learn here," Tyrel said.

"Oh, so I take it you're a professor-in-training?" Tracey asked.

"Not exactly," Tyrel answered, "I'm training to become a pokemon breeder. My first two pokemon hatched from eggs I found when I was just a little kid. Since then, it's been a passion of mine to learn everything I can and maybe even specialize in selective breeding."

Tracey sat confused for a few moments, "So…how did you end up here?"

Tyrel couldn't stop himself from laughing aloud. "You know, I asked myself that same thing for a while before giving up and just accepting the fact that I'm here. It seems to be working for now."

Tracey laughed with him this time. "Yeah, I guess that's just what happens when you meet Ash." With a few more laughs, the two of them returned to the table where everyone was gathered, finding comfort in the presence of so many friends.

* * *

Misty sat alone in her room, thinking about everything that had happened in such a short time span. It was all still very fresh in her mind, and seemed to be nagging at her in an odd way that she had felt before. It was almost like a sense of urgency that she couldn't shake.

She decided to check in on Ash and see how he was doing, hoping to ease her own mind. She crossed the hallway to his room and knocked.

"Come in," she heard through the door. She did as she was told and saw Ash getting ready for bed, his hat and coat hung neatly by the door and the bed made. "Hey Misty!"

"Hey Ash," she said calmly, "I'm not intruding am I?"

"Nah, I'm just tidying up for bed."

Misty stepped all the way through the door and closed it behind her. She had hoped that seeing Ash would help the racing thoughts in her head, but it had only sent them into a blurry rush. She stood silent for a few awkward moments before Ash spoke up.

"So what'd you need?" He asked.

"Oh…I just wanted to see how you were doing." She answered, not quite honestly, though not quite lying. She wasn't sure why she would lie about something like that, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that she **wasn't** there just to check in on him.

And then it hit her, and she understood what she had been feeling. Ever since she watched Ritchie die, she had thought about how short life could be. It was throwing into perspective exactly what the important things in life were, and why there was reason to waste time. It was the same thing she had felt when she learned she was going to be returning to the Cerulean Gym while Ash continued his travels.

"A-Ash?"

"Yeah?" He replied, growing a little concerned with her sudden change in moods.

"I just…I wanted to let you know…"

Ash sat silent, waiting for what she might say. He had been here before only the night before. When he thought back, he realized that when Misty had returned to the Cerulean Gym he had also felt just like this, except he hadn't really understood it at the time.

"I've been thinking a lot, about the important things in life…and I just wanted to say…"

Another moment of tense silence fell between them as butterflies flew inside both of their stomachs. Misty felt everything she'd ever wanted to say right on the tip of her tongue, begging to be set free.

In the last moment, she swallowed those words. "Whatever happens, just promise me you'll be safe, okay?"

Ash sat still for a moment, a little shocked by the difference in what he had thought she would say and what she had actually said. "O-okay, yeah." He shook his head, bringing himself back down to reality. "Of course, Misty. It means a lot to hear you say that…"

Misty gave half of a smile, absolutely loathing herself. She turned around and left the room, closing the door behind her. She walked a few steps down the hallway before collapsing against one of the walls and sliding down to a seated position. Part of her wanted to cry, and part of her hated the thought of crying. Three times now she had been exactly where she had wanted to be for years, and had simply waved as the opportunity walked by.

In her grief, she hadn't noticed Dawn standing in the hallway. Misty shot up, startled by what seemed to be her sudden appearance, though she had been there since before Misty went into Ash's room.

"Hey," Misty said, letting out a sigh of relief, "you scared me. I didn't see you there."

"So I take it things didn't go as planned?" Dawn said with a sincere tone. While the question took Misty by surprise, she found that she actually wasn't surprised that Dawn had noticed. It seemed to her like everyone knew, except for Ash.

"No…again," Misty said, her face growing sullen. "I just…I can't pull myself to tell him. I'm always bursting with excitement whenever I think about it, but when the time actually comes, I freeze and change the subject."

"I understand," Dawn said, giving Misty a hug, "and I wish I had some amazing advice to give you, but I can't say I've ever been in that situation." This was enough to make Misty laugh a bit. "How about instead we just go get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Alright!" Misty said, and the two of them went to join Brock, Tracey, Gary, Max and Tyrel in the kitchen for some late-night snacks.

* * *

Sitting alone in his room, Mason found his thoughts reeling, much as Misty's had been. He'd always lived life by the day, taking things as they came and for what they were worth, having very few cares and almost no worries. Still, it seemed so weird the way things had turned out in just a couple of days. The world seemed so dark now, no matter where you went, and thanks to a few lucky run-ins with Ash, he didn't have to be alone for it.

But everything he remembered from that morning onward was still so bleak and negative. The dark clouds that had covered much of the world seemed to be more than simple rain clouds; they seemed to infect thoughts as well. He couldn't find any way to explain it, things just seemed so wrong. Of course they seemed that way to everyone, but he felt it in ways that didn't seem right.

Through it all, though, there was one bright beacon of hope. Whenever his thoughts returned to the night before and the dance he had shared with May, things seemed to get a little brighter. Yet another thing that seemed so out of place, and yet felt so right. Living true to the rules he had lived by his whole life, he decided to do something instead of sitting around, stewing in thought.

He jumped up out of bed and left the room, Noone keeping on his heels. He made his way down the hall to May's room. To his surprise the door was already open and May was laying in bed, listening to some soft music playing on the stereo. He knocked on the doorway.

May tilted her head up to see who it was. When she saw him standing in the doorway she jumped up and turned the stereo down. "H-hey, sorry, you surprised me."

"Sorry," Mason said with a guilty look, "didn't mean to disturb you."

"Oh no!" May called out, "I was just listening to some music." She chuckled at the obviousness of her statement.

Mason took a few steps into the room, feeling different than he ever had before. His entire life he had never seen any reason to hide his feelings from anyone, but thinking about talking with May about everything that had happened gave him goose bumps. Noone gave a swish of her tails from her seat next to him. He looked down to her and she gave him the same look she had given him when he first found her, and in an instant, all of his thoughts vanished and he smiled.

"This scene feels just a little familiar," he said, looking up and noticing this was the room he had stayed in when he had first met everyone, "except I think we're a little mixed up."

May laughed and stood up from the bed. Only a moment ago he had seemed so worried about something, and now he didn't seem to have a care in the world. In so many ways he made her feel happy, even when she didn't think she could, and she was almost sure he felt the same things she did. Still, she had felt this way once before, and it had left her miserable after years of hope.

The stereo continued to play softly, and suddenly everything became clear. She had thought of so many things to talk to him about, so many questions to ask him, but none of it seemed right. She turned the volume up on the stereo as an upbeat song was playing. She walked over and stood in front of Mason and held out her hand.

Without a second thought, Mason took it as Noone made her way over and onto the bed.

Suddenly everything around them was gone, along with all of the horrible memories. Once again they found themselves lost in one another's world. They began moving along with the music, every step coming as natural as a heartbeat. The small space of the room didn't seem to matter at all as they used every inch available to them.

All of the worries and questions from before fled Mason's mind, replaced with nothing but feeling and sound. He let his thoughts go and allowed himself to be controlled by the rhythm of the music and the movements of their bodies. For a few moments, he could even see the scene taking place, the beauty of the two of them dancing together.

She let herself look away from his eyes to be twirled around the room, finding bliss in every moment of embrace that they shared. It was exactly as it had been before, only now they were truly alone in their own world. She allowed her dreams to wander, both feeling every moment they were now sharing together while reliving the night before. She had felt herself wanting nothing more than to stay here in this moment, releasing all of her inhibitions and flowing with his every step. All the while, she waited for the one thing she had wished for so much, the thing she had been denied last night.

He spun her out, the two of them engulfing nearly the entire room, and she spun herself back into his arms. They stood, gazing at one another. Once again he found himself mesmerized by her blue eyes. He brought himself close, releasing her hand and resting his hands on her waist.

May, on the other hand, had a single moment of doubt. The feelings she was having paired with the sight of the green in his eyes gave her a short but hurtful reminder of what had happened with Drew. Still, she waited for him to close the small distance between them, to see if it was everything she had dreamed.

They stood close for seconds that seemed to drag on for hours. Mason felt it the second she had a moment of doubt, though he never worried. As his face hovered closer and closer to hers, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled.

And that was ll it took. Seeing him smile such a beautiful smile, every bit of doubt left May's mind. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into the first kiss of their lives. As with everything else, the kiss seemed to flow through their bodies as naturally as breathing. Feelings and sounds seemed to burst inside Mason's mind, sending waves of happiness and excitement through his entire body as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off of the ground.

The music continued to play as the two of them continued the passionate embrace.

"M-May…?" A voice called from the doorway. Mason quickly set May back onto the ground and she whipped around, suddenly hating herself for not remembering to close the door.

Max stood in the doorway, a look of shock and disgust on his face. "W-wha…" he muttered, not sure of exactly what he was trying to ask. Instead of finishing his question, turned away, covering his eyes, and walked back toward the kitchen.

"Max!" May called after him. She turned to Mason, her face bright red. "I-I'm sorry, I've gotta-" She never finished her sentence as she left the room, racing after her brother. Mason stood in the center of the room, chuckling. He hadn't exactly thought about what everyone would think, though after the time he had spent with them, he was sure things would be alright. In an odd way, being around Ash just made everything seem that way.

He turned and looked at Noone who was sitting with a content look on her face. Mason's face grew slightly concerned and a bit more serious as he remembered the sounds he was hearing and the moments of watching the dance take place. He gave her a very puzzled look. "…Was that you?"

* * *

**A/N:** End scene with a slight cliffhanger, nothing too serious. Things are going to start getting very weird for Mason and Noone, and it all ties in to Giovanni's true plan. Expect plenty of action, romance, and plot twists as this story begins to kick it into high gear.

As always, thank you so much for reading. =] Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you thought!

**P.S. **That's why I **really **wanted to call it danceshipping. =P


	16. Announcement: Revision

**A/N:** Welcome guys.

I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated, and even sorrier to say that I don't have anything to give you right now. It's been over a month now, and for those of you who are really following the story, I want to thank you. It's nice to be able to share this stuff with other people and see what they think. In the end, however, I'm writing this for myself. I understand that sounds selfish, but it's the truth. It's a project I took on to prove to myself that I could start, work on, and complete a long work of fiction. I'd tried in the past with my own original ideas and failed miserably. I figured if I could just piggyback the first one, it'd be a nice start into my own work.

That being said, I've been re-reading the work I've done so far and I'm simply not satisfied. I remember telling you guys about the bipolar tenses that needed to be changed, there are many dull and dreary areas with almost no point to them, and Mason hasn't turned out how I imagined he would. So I'm re-working it. Much of it will be the same as before, however much of it will also be re-written and touched up. As a single story on my computer, this is an easy task. As a published story on FF, not so much. Once again, for those of you who really are following this (thank you so much), I can only hope you bear with me for the time being. I'm hoping the changes I make will be widely accepted as an improvement, and that it will be worth the wait.

Thanks for reading, and I hope to have something to give you guys soon.


End file.
